Forest & Bird has joined the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) and other environmental and recreation organisations in urging the FastTrack expert panel to reverse its draft decision approving the Waitaha Hydro Scheme, and urging them and politicians to protect the area for this generation and generations to come.

The Waitaha catchment is exceptional because it remains complete and intact from the lowlands to the high alpine zone. This intactness provides crucial habitat for atrisk native wildlife, including the nationally critical pekapekatouroa longtailed bat and the nationally vulnerable whio blue duck.

The open letter, coordinated by FMC, calls on the panel to reverse its 13 March 2026 draft decision and decline approvals for the scheme, which would divert most of the Waitaha River’s flow, dewater Morgan Gorge, and permanently damage one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s last wild river systems.

“The Waitaha is a spectacular, nearpristine river flowing through public conservation land that belongs to all of us,” says Nicky Snoyink, Forest & Bird Canterbury West Coast Regional Manager.

Forest & Bird says the proposal asks New Zealanders to accept permanent damage to a rare and intact wild river system – damage that cannot be undone or meaningfully mitigated.

“Not every place is appropriate for power generation development because of the natural values that could be lost, and the Waitaha is one of those places. We need the right renewables in the right places. There are other places with lower conservation values that are already consented for hydro schemes," says Ms Snoyink.

“The panel has acknowledged that the recreation impacts on Morgan Gorge and Kiwi Flat would remain ‘high’ and significant even after mitigation. That alone should be enough to decline this.

“It is the undisturbed ‘wholeness’ of the Waitaha that makes it so rare – and why protection of its ecological and recreational values is so important.

“What we’re actually talking about is the industrialisation of a near-pristine wild river.”

The FMCcoordinated open letter is available here.

The open letter highlights that the fasttrack process has excluded the very people who know and use the Waitaha Valley – trampers, paddlers, local communities, and conservation groups – undermining both democratic participation and sound environmental decision-making. It also notes the panel’s own decision document shows significant, unresolved environmental concerns.

Only very few organisations and individuals, such as select Government Ministers, were allowed to comment on the proposal.

Forest & Bird says the Waitaha decision comes at a time when public conservation land – including stewardship land – is facing increasing pressure from legislative changes, mining proposals, and fasttrack developments.

“What we’re seeing is the systemic dismantling of conservation in New Zealand,” says Ms Snoyink. “This isn’t right. These are the wild, iconic places that belong to all of us, and get to the heart of who we are as New Zealanders. We should be able to protect them for future generations.”

Notes:

• The Waitaha Hydro Scheme was previously declined in 2019 due to its effects on natural character and recreation, following a full public process with over 3000 public submissions. It was revived under the Fasttrack Approvals Act 2024.

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