The "wild" character of the Nevis Valley and the impact of a small hydro dam in meeting future demand for electricity generation were among the issues canvassed yesterday in a case before the Environment Court.
Judge Jon Jackson and commissioners John Mills and Kathryn Edmonds will hear the final evidence today in the bid to ban damming or diversion of the Nevis River.
They will make a recommendation to Minister for the Environment Amy Adams on the issue, after a decision by a special tribunal, appointed by the Ministry for the Environment, was appealed to the court.
The legal proceedings began several years ago after the New Zealand and Otago Fish and Game councils sought to amend the Nevis conservation order to rule out hydro development.
Dam proponent Pioneer Generation was one of three groups which objected to the tribunal's decision. The tribunal decided the conservation order should be changed to ban damming and diversion, for only one reason - to protect the habitat of the native Gollum galaxiid fish.
The fish and game councils want the river's wild and scenic landscape values and trout fishery values to be recognised as "outstanding" in the amended order and Whitewater New Zealand has sought a ban on damming to protect the kayaking amenity provided by the river.
Written evidence by former minister of energy David Parker, now the Labour Party's finance spokesman, was tabled in the Environment Court yesterday. Mr Parker was a witness for the fish and game councils and his evidence canvassed New Zealand's energy policy framework and the contribution hydro electricity from a Nevis scheme might make.
"Some may argue that hydro electricity supply from the Nevis will be needed in the future for local needs, e.g. Queenstown.
"However, the Otago-Southland region is already an exporter of electricity to elsewhere and is almost certain to remain so," he said.
" ... in my opinion, the court ought not to decline the application because of the Nevis River's hydro potential. This potential is relatively insignificant in terms of future national energy supply or energy security."
Recreation and tourism planners, landscape architects and planners also gave evidence yesterday, about the recreational and landscape values of the Nevis, the impact a dam would have, modifications to the landscape, and future demand for electricity.
