Hydropower scheme an election issue for West Coast voters

Saturday, 26 August 2023

A controversial hydropower scheme has become a “political football” for West Coast voters, with National promising to give it the go-ahead if it gets into power.

The Waitaha hydropower scheme proposed by Westpower was declined by Environment Minister David Parker in 2019 because it would have significant impacts on the natural character, intrinsic value and people's enjoyment of the area.

The application is now before Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime for a decision on whether she will reconsider granting a concession for the scheme on the Waitaha River in Westland.

The National party has promised it make the scheme a priority and give it approval if elected.

National’s energy and resources spokesperson, Stuart Smith, said the party supported the scheme because it would provide a much-needed boost to the security and reliability of the West Coast’s electricity supply.

He said National would make it easier to gain consent for renewable electricity projects.

West Coast Labour MP Damien O’Connor said people should not rule out the scheme getting the go-ahead under a Labour Government.

“Never say never,” he said.

“I've had many, many discussions over the years with people from both sides of the debate and clearly our reliance on electricity going forward is ever increasing.

“Hydro is one of the renewable sources, but I wouldn't like to see every river on the West Coast dammed so that we can supply electricity for people in Auckland and Wellington.”

A balance needed to be maintained between self-reliance and commercial opportunities, while protecting the assets that drew a lot of people to the West Coast, he said.

He would not make any election promises for the region and said he did not regard it as a safe seat- despite winning it in every election except one since 1996 - because the party vote had swung towards National in the past.

“Promises are things that I don't make. I think people who are promising more and want to take less are generally con artists. I'll always be upfront and honest with the challenges that we face and the opportunities that we have.”

Whitewater New Zealand co-president Matthew McKnight criticised the National party for turning such an important issue into a political football.

His organisation objected to the Waitaha scheme because of the natural outstanding beauty of the river and its unique recreational values.

He said the run-of-the-river scheme would take a large majority of the water from the Morgan Gorge section of the river.

“We know that New Zealand needs green energy. We know that there is going to be more need for energy. But we believe that there are way better ways of doing that - whether that's solar or whether that's actual better hydro activity elsewhere.

“The actual generation that this would create is pretty minimal for the impact that it could have,” he said.