120 kayakers, environmentalists protest West Coast dam

2/11/2010 11:23:26 a.m.

Zelka Grammer wrote:

Given the fact that the Mokihinui River is rated 7th for its biodiversity values in the whole of NZ, it is outrageous to suggest damming such a wild and scenic river, with various rare and endangered species that live there (whio, kiwi, long finned eel etc)
This dam must not go ahead. Good on those who are working hard to stop this unnecessary and foolhardy proposal- a huge dam in a geologically unstable area. We should all work hard to reduce the significant % of waste in our energy consumption. And they don't need to dam the Mokihinui with the Stockton and Arnold projects which make much more sense. Oh and by the way, Jon (comment above) people who care about and insist upon the sustainable management of our finite natural resources are not "nut jobs". and mates of ours who live on the lower Mokihinui and whitebaters and other locals have every right to oppose this ill conceived proposal. Save the Mokihinui! Even here in Northland, the Mok River is known for its wild character, great hunting, tramping and kayacking...and rare and endangered species who call this river valley and gorge their home.

1/11/2010 4:16:40 p.m.

Carol wrote:

Leave our pristine rivers alone, come on Meridian there must be other alternatives, wind,wave etc. Do we also need to increase New Zealand's population by too much imigration adding to the need for more energy, why not slow things down a bit, we are in the middle of a so could world recession aren't we?

27/10/2010 6:16:37 p.m.

Derf wrote:

Great thinking Rav! NZ should adopt Australia's policy and burn coal to produce electricity.... Hang on, wouldn't that be worse? Don't worry about the green house gas effect, it's not a real. Burry your head in the sand Rav, Meridian are producing 'carbon free' electricity, unlike their neighbours in Australia. I'd suggest solar farms but it's always bl00dy cloudy in the West Coast!

26/10/2010 10:41:11 p.m.

rav wrote:

It's been almost a 130 years since the first hydro electric dam was built in the USA - it's been over 200 years since hydro mechanical technology was invented or was known... Lazy corporations are cashing in on by-gone technologies to destroy precious ecosystems - would have been cool in the 18th & 19th centuries pal, but not at all cool in the 21st century New Zealand. I refuse to believe there are no other viable means of producing electricity, leave West Coast alone. Put your $300 million to better use Meridian, find a better way... Here is what you can do to save the dam... http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/save-mokihinui-damn-dam

26/10/2010 4:39:54 p.m.

Josh wrote:

Absolutely special place.
Damming it would be an utterly stupid short sighted move. A move opposed not just by Greenies, but by all.
Meridian looking to exploit a poor uneducated society, filling them with promises of jobs, and property upgrades.
What they don't understand is the fact that dams speed up coastal erosion, and the jobs last for 2 years at most. Then your river is gone as well as the jobs, and you are left with a shell of a ghost town.
Dam tourism is not popular

25/10/2010 9:57:14 p.m.

Debs wrote:

Its the 7th most valued river for biodiversity in the country; the largest inundation of conservation land the country will have ever seen; Gerry Brownlee (Minister of Energy) said last year its not needed; the power is NOT to supply the West Coast, but the national grid; unless we get our handle on how we generate power (and currently the growth in electricity demand as business gets smarter and more efficient is currently about zilch), then we'll continue to dam wild rivers up and down the country and still not have enough. lets get real conservation and efficiencies (helps us all!), and genuine renewable energy, e.g. geothermal, wind, marine. damming rivers and stuffing our natural environment will only make us worse off in the end.

25/10/2010 11:19:27 a.m.

nathan wrote:

They don't need to dam the Mokihinui because with Stockton hydro and Arnold extension, the Buller will be self-sufficent in energy without it.
small minded people like jon should learn the facts.

25/10/2010 11:01:29 a.m.

V wrote:

I believe these people have a right to protest BUT I also believe that renewable HYDRO power should be exploited as much as possible.. We should be building the BIGGEST DAM we can to Power our whole economy on electricity. Maybe if We do the work ONE Big Dam build somewhere else could make this small dam redundant?. The DAM would be owned BY the people FOR the people None of JK fraudsters!.

25/10/2010 12:52:28 a.m.

charlotte wrote:

You West Coast idiots. You won't see lower electricity prices. You believe that? meridian has already said it can't guarantee that. You're being bought off! Most of you protestors - iwi, Mokihinui residents, Rough and Tumble lodge owners - already have been!

24/10/2010 9:39:41 p.m.

TWE wrote:

Wind power just doesn't work like hydro... hydro can provide a base load - a certain amount of constant electricity that you'll be guaranteed to get. Wind cannot ever do that so always needs to be backed up by reliable sources of electricity like coal or hydro. Problem with coal stations is you can't just easily stop and start them all the time. A wind farm in that area would be totally pointless in place of hydro, indeed they are pointless in almost all situations because they can never replace other sources, only supplement them.