Manapouri Power Scheme/Essential Freshwater

Details of the request

All advice provided to Ministers in relation to the Manapouri Power Scheme, national grid upgrades and Tiwai Smelter

There exists a very good argument for returning a small amount of water to the Waiau River from the Manapouri Power Scheme to protect the ecological health of the River. Yet the Government continues to promulgate regulations and defend statutes that preclude that, and weaken what little regulatory protection there was for the River. What I am trying to understand is, what is the other side of the argument, more than just the generic and high level rhetoric about hydro being an important tool in the face of climate change, and the international bragging rights of having 85% renewable energy. Perhaps the high level rhetoric is all that exists, and noone has looked into it further, but if they have, if there has been compelling advice received by the Minister in relation to this issue, in the broad sense in which I couched my request, that is what I would like to see.

ministerials@mfe.govt.nz