SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed is the manager of all political strategic policy at TRM) is usually reluctant to get involved in any contentious political argy-bargy, but just occasionally She has an urgent desire to assist the Government to correct their policy proposals. This “3 Waters” threat to reorganise NZ’s water distribution management into three distinct regions is so wrong. In Turangi She suggests it would be more logical and only fair to improve the proposed threat to 4 Waters. It makes more sense than 3 Waters. She elaborates…
Turangi (Trout Fishing Capital of the World) is strategically located halfway to everywhere in the middle-for-diddle centre of the North Island, at the southern end of Lake Taupo. It is best known for the mighty Tongariro River which is mainly there to provide the best trout spawning river in the world and to collect and redirect most of the 100% pure clean valuable water from the central plateau mountains. For the last fifty years the Tongariro catchment environment has suffered and persevered with the massive Government plumbing job, leftover from the Muldoon “Think Big” era. This allowed our wealthiest asset to be distributed via Lake Taupo to eight hydropower stations down the Waikato River and provided precious water supplies to many other less fortunate towns and cities downriver including Auckland. OK? It is now pay-back time…
The original Tongariro Power Scheme hatched in the 1960’s to redirect our water from both eastern and western flanks of Ruapehu via tunnels and canals into Lake Rotoaira, and then through another tunnel to the Tokaanu Power Station, to increase the natural flow through Lake Taupo by about 25%. This was not without severe pain and anguish to everyone who valued the natural environment in this region. The proof is that such a scheme would not be considered possible in this modern era as it would never satisfy the requirements of the Resource Management Act, in terms of the severe environmental and eco-terrorist structural damage to our region. The new water distribution legislation being proposed is the appropriate opportunity to finally, after fifty years of suffering, partially compensate Turangi.
Up until now Turangi has been very patient and content to provide the essential life giving fuel for most of the North Island, but times have changed. Suddenly we have discovered the Government is ramming through new legislation without consulting us who have been previously generously providing this liquid wealth. They just assumed we would not mind redistributing our main asset without any objection. They were wrong. So a minor amendment, i.e. from 3 to 4, is absolutely legally and morally justified.
Turangi is critically conveniently located at the prime source of this liquid gold. Our scenic tourist landscape was aggressively attacked and remolded on a vast scale to provide the giant collection and drainage system to keep the rest of the North Island economy flourishing. Following the Government’s many precedents of capitalising on every opportunity to tax and screw us, Turangi needs to utilise this opportunity to make sure all water-users downstream acknowledge and pay for our beneficence.
Before you object (I can already feel the vibes from the vociferous displaced minority), the brilliant innovative 4 Waters scheme will be fully inclusive of a similar racist split for control with local Turangi Maori interests as they are already over half the local population or beneficiaries of the change. Hence the amendment from 3 Waters to 4 Waters has the blessing of all.
Being a retired teacher, SWMBO cannot help herself to remind you why water has become political. Our geographical advantage – Turangi’s strategic location at the top of the food chain – is critical to everyone else not so fortunately located downriver. They only get our left-over water after we have finished with it.
For the rest of the North Island downriver from Turangi, pure clean freshwater is vital for life, supporting ecosystems and is essential to basic human civilization. Freshwater is used in every aspect of daily life including food production, energy-power generation, manufacturing, transport and sanitation. Historically, Turangi has been careless with this vital resource in just giving it away. Now it is time to capitalise on our relative advantageous negotiating position.
SWMBO reiterates, freshwater is the most precious substance in the world because drinking water is essential for surviving. It is as simple as that. That adds so much $$$ value to Turangi’s natural resource. She emphasises that freshwater is the most precious resource on earth. It is vital for all living organisms and major ecosystems. It is the one distinct competitive advantage Turangi has, the importance of which has to be recognised and paid for, to provide an endless supply of the most precious resource on earth (in addition to world-class trout fishing of course).
Warning: At the same time as introducing 4 Waters legislation, Turangi intends to shake off our obsolete colonial administration and rebrand as an independent Republic to manage and protect our immense natural wealth without Government meddling. We believe it makes much more logical sense than the ridiculous 3 Waters proposal.
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