Student representatives from two Waiau Valley schools are thought to have made history on Thursday (28 July) when they were allowed to speak to a Parliamentary Select Committee.

The children were part of the Waiau Rivercare Group's (WRG) 'Save our Waiau River’ presentation made to the Environment Select Committee.

WRG believe it is the first time in New Zealand history children have spoken to a Select Committee. 

Students from Waiau Valley schools with a copy of the Waiau Rivercare Group's Children's Kaitiaki Project that they presented on Thursday (28 July) to Parliament's Environmental Select Committee. Back row: Oli Abbott (16), Malakai Mangion (17) of Waiau Area School. Front row: Tomas Clarke (10), Libby Anderson (10) of Hauroko Valley Primary School. Photio: Supplied.

The origins of the fight for the Waiau River, Southland's largest and historically New Zealand's second largest river, go back to the 1960s when the government made plans to build a hydro-electric power station to supply electricity to the Comalco aluminium smelter in Bluff.

The river originates in Lake Te Anau and flows south to Lake Manapōuri. This section of the river, called the Upper Waiau, carries 120-150 cubic metres per second (cumecs) of water. The Lower Waiau, which flows out of the southern end of Lake Manapōuri to the sea, used to carry 450 cumecs.

The initial plan for the Manapōuri Power Station was to build a dam on the Waiau River, raising the level of Lake Manapōuri by up to 30 metres, and merging Lakes Manapōuri and Te Anau.

However the Save Manapōuri campaign, waged between 1969 and 1972, prevented this from happening and insured natural lake levels would remained unchanged.

A new engineering solution was implemented where the power plant turbines were driven by water flowing through specially constructed tunnels between Lake Manapōuri and Doubtful Sound.

Although the lakes were saved, it was at the cost to the Lower Waiau River, whose flow was reduced by 95% with significant impact on the river flora and fauna, water quality and its recreational values. The water that would’ve flowed into the river, was diverted into the Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound via the tunnels.

In 2020, a petition led by Waiau Rivercare Group (WRG) Co-Chair Paul Marshall appealed the amendment of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM), which exempts six New Zealand hydro-electricity generation schemes from conforming to the NPSFM.

One of those exempt is the Manapōuri Power Scheme. The petition received over 2400 signatures in support.

However, due to Covid restrictions it took two years before the group was able to present their arguments face-to-face to the Environment Select Committee.

Meanwhile, further evidence to support the petition was provided by the WRG, including the Children’s Kaitiaki Project, an ecological inquiry by over 120 local children and young people, sharing their thoughts, feelings and values for their river, the Waiau, through the universal language of the arts and narrative.

It was this piece of evidence that caught the attention of government officials, followed with a specific request from the Secretary for the Select Committee, asking for student representation in the face to face presentation.

Last Thursday WRG Executive Committee members Paul Marshall, Peter Horrell, Claire Jordan and Christina Vaughan, along with representatives of their Children’s Kaitiaki Project - Libby Anderson (10), Tomas Clarke (10) and their teacher Jen Templeton of Hauroko Valley Primary, and Malakai Mangion (17), Oli Abbott (16) and their teacher Richard Bennett of Waiau Area School, flew to Wellington and presented their case to the Environment Select Committee chaired by Hon Eugine Sage.

The hearing was live streamed and can be accessed on the Environment Committee Facebook page (https://fb.watch/eyYRxCjauW/).

In his speech to the Committee, Paul Marshall explained that the petition called on the Government to remove the exception for the Manapōuri hydro scheme from the NPSFM.

“The exception stripped from our awa (river) the last vestige of the protection that it had,” he said.

Next the young people gave their presentation, followed by WRG member Claire Jordan offering a solution to the concerns voiced by Marshall and the children.

“We consider the most elegant solution is to amend the Manapōuri – Te Anau Development Act 1963 to require the operating guidelines for the scheme to also consider the health of the Lower Waiau River. This would use the existing organisational structure of the Guardians of the Lakes, which includes Meridian Energy, to determine science-based guidelines with ministerial oversight,” she said.

It was a long day for the young people representing the Waiau Valley schools, but an exciting one; a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Sixteen-year-old Oli Abbot said they got up at 4.30am and were back home at 10pm.

Their day at Parliament started with a private tour of the Beehive, followed by a quick lunch and the Environment Committee hearing - the main reason for their visit.

After the hearing they were interviewed by the Labour MP Marja Lubeck and later watched the Parliament Question time from the public gallery.

“I enjoyed it all, particularly the question time. I was nervous before it was my turn to speak, but was OK later. It feels like we’ve made a difference. People were listening to us, and I feel we gave a new hope to the community for our river,” Abbott said.

The significance of having the opportunity to speak for the river is something that the WRG hopes will encourage the Government to pay attention to the concerns and realities faced by those of the Lower Waiau catchment, and to entice them to take the appropriate action.