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Public Notice of Application for a Water Conservation Order on the Oreti River

Section 204 of the Resource Management Act 1991

The Minister for the Environment has received an application for a water conservation order on the Oreti River. The applicant is the New Zealand Fish and Game Council and Southland Fish and Game Council. The application was supplemented by further information provided to the Minister in July and August 2005.

The applicant seeks protection of:

  • the main stem of the Oreti River upstream of Mossburn
  • Weydon Burn, Windley River and all other tributaries upstream of Lincoln Hill
  • Groundwater connected to the surface water of the river from Mossburn upstream to the headwaters

In recognition of what the applicant asserts are the following outstanding features and characteristics

  • Natural state, wild and scenic
  • Fishery and angling amenity
  • Habitat for trout and wildlife; and
  • Value in accordance with tikanga Maori

The applicant seeks that these outstanding features and characteristics be protected by prohibiting damming; restricting the taking of surface water and groundwater, restricting alteration of river flow, form or water quality; and the maintenance of fish passage.

The applicant also seeks protection of the main stem of the Oreti between Mossburn and the bridge at Wallacetown, for:

  • Its necessary contribution to the outstanding angling and fishery values upstream; and
  • This necessary contribution is to be protected in this stretch by a prohibition on damming, which will enable fish passage to be maintained.

The Minister has appointed a Special Tribunal to hear and report on the application. The Special Tribunal is now calling for public submissions on the application. The Special Tribunal may consider matters wider than the matters raised in the application. The application and any relevant information held by the Special Tribunal may be inspected at the Ministry for the Environment, or at any of the below addresses

  • website www.mfe.govt.nz
  • Level 7, Te Waipounamu House, 158 Hereford Street, Christchurch
  • Level 1, Environment House, 23 Kate Sheppard Place, Thorndon, Wellington
  • Environment Southland, Corner of North Road and Price Street, Waikiwi Invercargill
  • Invercargill City Council, Civic Administration Building 101 Esk Street, Invercargill
  • Queenstown Lakes District Council, The Civic Centre, 10 Gorge Road, Queenstown
  • Te Anau District Library, 24 Milford Crescent, Te Anau
  • Lumsden District Library, 18 Diana Street, Lumsden
  • Winton District Library, 1 Wemyss Street, Winton
  • Gore District Council, 29 Civic Avenue, Gore

Any person may make a submission. Submissions must be made in writing on submission Form 30 and must be served on the Special Tribunal at its address which is:

Special Tribunal
Oreti River Water Conservation Order
Ministry for the Environment
Te Waipounamu House
Level 7, 158 Hereford Street
PO Box 1345
Christchurch

Copies of Form 30 can be obtained from the Ministry for the Environment at the above addresses.

If you support the Order but prefer to preserve a different but related water body in the same catchment instead of or in addition to the Oreti River, or prefer to preserve different features and qualities of the water body instead, your submission must state this preference and your reasons for this preference. In giving reasons, you must refer, if applicable, to the matters set out in sections 199, 200 and 207 of the Resource Management Act 1991. You must also describe the provisions that you think should be included in the Order and the effects that those provisions would have on the water body.

Any submissions must be received in writing by the Special Tribunal at its address stated above by 5pm on Wednesday 15th November 2006.

As soon as reasonably practicable after sending your submission to the Special Tribunal, you must send a copy of your submission on the applicant, whose address for service is:

New Zealand Fish and Game Council and Southland Fish and Game Council
C/- Anderson Lloyd Caudwell
Otago House
10th Floor, Moray Place/Princess Street Corner
Private Bag 1959
Dunedin

Please contact Steve Merito on 03 365 9556 or steve.merito@mfe.govt.nz if you have any questions about the application.

Steve Merito
Administration Officer for the Special Tribunal

Date 30th September 2006

Address for service of Special Tribunal as above.

Last updated: 6 January 2009