Rafting the Hurunui, photo by Leslie ShandThe Hurunui Water Project (HWP) has applied for consents to dam and extract water from the Hurunui river and Lake Sumner for irrigation and hydro purposes. The Hurunui is the only wild river on the east coast of the South Island that runs unimpeded from mountain to sea via a large natural inland lake, and it is important habitat for native birds and fish including the endangered black fronted tern and the banded dotterel. The river is also highly valued for recreation and is a popular spot for kayaking, angling, and white-water rafting.

Fortunately, the HWP announced in October that it has deferred its consent application for 12 months. Ngai Tahu's property company, which was part of the HWP, also announced in October that it has withdrawn from the project.

This news comes as a welcome reprieve, but until HWP drops the proposal altogether, the threat to the Hurunui remains, which is why an estimated 2000 people took to the streets in Christchurch in October 2009 to protest the proposals. Among them were Green Party Co-leaders Russel Norman and Metiria Turei, and Christchurch-based Green MP Kennedy Graham.

Russel at Hurunui Dambusters march

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Submission guide on Hurunui Water Project

The consent applications by Hurunui Water Project closed for public submissions on 11 September 2009. Nevertheless, our Submission Guide provides useful background information on what is proposed and why it's such a bad idea. If protecting our wild rivers and the Hurunui in particular is important to you, take a moment to read it.

Click here to download a Pdf version of the submission guide

Lake Sumner, photo by Chris Todd

Hurunui Water Project – What is proposed?

A 75 metre high dam on the South Branch of the Hurunui, flooding 7 km of the river and holding up to 162 million cubic metres.

An overflow dam at the Lake Sumner outlet, which could raise the lake levels by up 3 metres.

A water take of up to 32 cumecs from the main stem of the Hurunui both to irrigate around 42,000 hectares and for hydro power generation.

Some points to think about

At present the Hurunui is the only river on the South Island's East Coast that flows unimpeded from its source in the Southern Alps to sea via a large natural inland lake, and is one of our last ‘wild' rivers.

Because it is highly scenic, has reliable natural flow out of Lake Sumner, and is accessible, the Hurunui is highly valued both regionally and nationally for angling, rafting and kayaking.

The Hurunui provides also valuable habitat for native fish and birds, including the nationally endangered black-fronted tern (between 5-12% of the entire population) the black-billed gull (in serious decline) and the banded dotterel (in gradual decline).

By reducing flow variability the proposed dams will destroy the 'wild' nature of the river and negatively impact on both recreational and ecological values.

The South Branch is the 'dynamic part' of the river with more variable flows and greater silt loading. The flood flows from the South Branch are important for keeping the river downstream clean, reducing didymo infestation, clearing away weeds and helping maintain its braided nature.

A dam on the South Branch will compromise all of these values, leaving the lower river bed overgrown with weeds and destroying important nesting habitat for braided river birds.

The South Branch of the Hurunui also supports most of the salmon and trout spawning in the river system. A dam on the South Branch may lead to collapse of the fisheries.

Raising the level of Lake Sumner will flood the lake margin habitats, the North Branch delta and other areas of geological and ecological significance including the loss of 40% of the lake edge kowhai trees.

A dam at the lake outlet will restrict migration of native fish and eel to and from Lake Sumner and the upper Hurunui River and tributaries.

Lake Summer and its outlet has high amenity value in scenic surroundings which will be lost.

Water quality in the lower Hurunui is already degraded as a result of land use intensification in the lower catchment. Further abstraction and resulting irrigation and land intensification will make this worse.

Thank you for caring about our wild rivers!