WCO Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers
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ANALYSIS OF SUBMISSIONS Water Conservation Order: The Ngaruroro and Clive rivers and associated water bodies Analysis of Submissions on Re-Notified Application September 2018 1 Executive Summary In December 2015, the Minister for the Environment received an application from the New Zealand Fish and Game Council, the Hawke’s Bay Fish and Game Council, Ngāti Hori ki Kohupatiki, Whitewater New Zealand, Jet Boating New Zealand, and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand (the applicants), for a Water Conservation Order for the Ngaruroro and Clive rivers (WCO or ‘the Order’). The application concerns the entire length of the Ngaruroro River, the tributaries and hydraulically connected groundwater to the Lower Ngaruroro River, and the 7 kilometre (km) long Clive River. The applicants seek protection for a range of values through a number of conditions contained in the draft Order appended to the application. The Minister for the Environment appointed a Special Tribunal (the Tribunal) to hear and report on the application. The Tribunal may consider matters wider than the matters raised in the application. The EPA publically notified the Application on 28 July 2017 and called for submissions. The formal submissions period closed at 4pm on 24 August 2017. The EPA received 388 submissions. Recent scientific evidence confirmed that wider hydraulic connections exist through the Ngaruroro and Clive rivers catchment, than was understood when the application was first notified. As a result of this new evidence, the Special Tribunal decided on 18 June 2018 that further public notification was required. A second public notification occurred on 24 July 2018, and closed on 22 August 2018. The EPA received 346 additional submissions before the close of the submission period. Five of these submissions were duplicates or doubles, and were removed. One was a late submission was received on 30 August. Nine submissions were from submitters who had submitted in the first round of submissions. 319 submissions were sent to the EPA via the Forest and Bird web page; all of which supported the Order. This analysis relates to the submissions received in the second public notification and should be read in conjunction with the analysis of submissions on the first public notification1. Position on the application: 13 submitters (3.8%) oppose the application. 5 submitters (1.4%) were neutral on the application. 321 submitters (94.4%) support the application. 1 submitters (0.3%) support with a preference for preserving another water body. 1 submitters (0.3%) support with a preference for preserving different features/qualities. 0 submitters (0%) did not specify or clarify a view on the application. 1 The analysis of submissions on the first public notification can be found at: https://www.epa.govt.nz/assets/FileAPI/proposal/NSP000041/Submissions-and-or-comments/NSP000041-WCN-Analysis-of- Submissions-12092017.pdf 2 Tribunal recommendation sought: 12 submitters would like the Tribunal to recommend that the WCO be declined (3.5%). 320 submitters would like the Tribunal to recommend that the WCO be granted (94.1%). 4 submitters would like the Tribunal to recommend that the WCO be granted with changes (1.1%). 4 submitters were neutral on what the Tribunal should recommend (1.1%). 1 submitters did not specify or clearly identify a view whether the Tribunal should recommend that the WCO be granted, granted with changes or declined (0.2%). Additional submitters wishing to be heard: 20 submitters (5.7%) have indicated that they wish to be heard at the hearing. 320 submitters (94.1%) have indicated that they do not wish to be heard at the hearing. 1 submitters (0.2%) did not specify or clarify if they wished to be heard. Of the 341 submitters, one indicated that if others make a similar submission they will consider presenting a joint case. Location: The majority of additional submitters are from: Auckland (28.9%), Wellington (11.8%), Hastings (9.2%), Canterbury (8.1%), Waikato (6.3%), Bay of Plenty (4.6%), Napier City (4.6%), Manawatu/ Wanganui (4%), Otago (3.7%), Taranaki (3.1%), and N/A (1.1%) The other 14% was spread out over many regions. Sector: 320 submitters (94.1%) identified as individuals. 13 submitters (3.7%) identified as organisations. 0 submitters (0%) identified as community groups. 0 submitters (0%) identified as local government agencies. 1 submitters (0.2%) identified as iwi. 7 submitter (2.0%) were not-specified. A range of opinions have been raised in the submissions, primarily on topics around: alternative processes for catchment management; commercial and industrial operations (including social impacts); water quality, water quantity; recreation; ecology; natural character/amenity; consents and restrictions; groundwater/aquifers/surface water; river conservation; and culture/heritage. 3 Contents List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Explanatory Information ............................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Use of this document ...........................................................................................................6 1.2 Administration ...........................................................................................................................6 1.3 Limitations ................................................................................................................................6 2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Application Background ...........................................................................................................7 2.2 Notification of the Application ...................................................................................................7 2.3 Second Notification ..................................................................................................................8 3. Submissions received....................................................................................................................... 8 4. Overview of Submissions ................................................................................................................. 8 4.1 Position of submitters on re-notified application ......................................................................8 4.2 Recommendation sought on the application by submitters .....................................................9 5. Trends observed in submissions .................................................................................................. 10 5.1 Submitters wishing to be heard ............................................................................................. 10 5.2 Location ................................................................................................................................. 10 5.3 Submissions by sector .......................................................................................................... 11 6. Submissions sent via Forest and Bird web page ........................................................................ 12 6.1 Commercial and industrial operations and consequential impacts ....................................... 12 6.1.1 Concern for the environment .............................................................................................. 13 6.2 Culture and Heritage ............................................................................................................. 16 6.3 Water Quality ......................................................................................................................... 17 6.3.1 Irrigation ............................................................................................................................. 17 6.4 River Conservation ................................................................................................................ 17 6.4.1 Protection ........................................................................................................................... 17 6.4.2 Future Generations ............................................................................................................ 19 6.4.3 Other .................................................................................................................................. 21 6.5 Water Sports ......................................................................................................................... 23 6.6 Fishing ................................................................................................................................... 24 6.7 Water Quality ......................................................................................................................... 25 6.8 Ecology .................................................................................................................................. 26 6.9 Other Recreation ................................................................................................................... 30 6.10 Natural Characteristics and Amenity ................................................................................... 32 7. Other Submitters ............................................................................................................................