Motu River

The Motu River is a seriously powerful river by North Island wild river standards. It begins quietly in farmland between Gisborne and Opotiki, but soon plunges into the heart of the Raukumara Forest Park and Wilderness Area. The nationally outstanding and unique quality of this river was recognised with a Water Conservation Order in 1984 - the first ever granted.

DOC describes the 115,000ha Raukumara as "the least developed or visited tracts of bush in the North Island... [an] extremely rugged bush-clad land". One of it's central features is the "Grade 4 rafting on the Motu River, which is renowned for its unspoiled beauty and isolation". This wildness is recognised in it being one of the few designated Wilderness Areas in the country.

Despite its reknowned wildness and the Wilderness Area status, an old idea for a hydro scheme on the Motu and the neighbouring Raukokere River was revived last year. It is acknowledged as "horrifically" expensive.

Old assessments "indicated 290 megawatts (MW) of electricity generation would be possible from four dams on the Motu...augmented by diverting flow from the Takaputahi River to the Motu River...[and] 45MW of capacity from three schemes on the Raukokore River." To do this, the Water Conservation Order would need to be revoked.

While there are genuine needs for security of supply in Bay of Plenty, and economic development for local iwi and hapu, dams on the Motu and other Raukumara wilderness rivers would be a massive disaster. The Motu is arguably the North Island's premiere Wild River.

The Threat to the Motu River

A floated idea to resurrect past plans for four dams on the Motu, and diversion and other dams on adjacent wild rivers. See above.

Organisations Supporting the Motu River