Over $8m to Doc for consent deals

The Department of Conservation has revealed it received more than $8 million to settle resource consent issues, including $7.2 million from Meridian for the Waitaki hydro project.

In response to an Official Information Act request, Doc has released information on 12 financial agreements it negotiated with state-owned enterprises or private companies since 2002.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Doc would receive $175,000 from Meridian Energy, in return for not opposing consent over the planned Project Hayes wind farm.

The 12 agreements, which range from $2000 to $7.2 million, were used to fund environmental work to lessen the impact of proposed developments.

The information reveals between 1991 and 2008 the department received $7,246,000 from ECNZ - now Meridian Energy - to mitigate the impact of hydro-electricity development on the wildlife habitat of the Upper Waitaki Basin.

The department has negotiated, but not yet received, $180,000 from TrustPower to mitigate the effects of the proposed Mahinerangi Wind Farm on the Te Papanui Conservation Park.

Doc policy general manager Doris Johnston said the department took a practical and open approach to resolving concerns over large development projects.

Environmental impacts were identified in public hearings and the department was prepared to talk to parties "to see if there are practical ways of mitigating our environmental concerns".

"If the department can get an agreement to fund acceptable work to help mitigate the environmental impacts of a development, we will do so."

In most cases, Doc reached agreement with developers without any payment and details of all agreements were already made public, she said.

"It's $8.4 million that goes into conservation. The alternative is that we get into court, waste it on lawyers and it's not paid into conservation," the director-general of conservation, Al Morrison, told One News.

"It is money spent on conservation. It's a good deal for conservation."

hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz

Doc agreements

Projects requiring consents and payment to the Department of Conservation in Otago and Southland.

• Waitaki hydro schemes, Otago-Canterbury, $7,246,000 (1991-2008) from Meridian Energy for Project River Recovery.

• Mahinerangi wind farm, $180,000 (conditional on consent) from TrustPower for Te Papanui Conservation Park.

• Project Hayes, $175,000 (conditional on consent) from Meridian Energy.

• Upper Monowai River, Southland, $50,000 from TrustPower, with Fish and Game NZ and Doc ($20,000 the first year and then $10,000 for the following three years) to mitigate effects on freshwater fish.

SOURCE: DOC