WCO lodged to protect Hawke’s Bay’s Ngaruroro River

An application for a Water Conservation Order for Hawkes Bay’s Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers has been jointly lodged by a group of organisations, including Fish & Game, Ngati Hori ki Kohupatiki, Forest & Bird, Whitewater NZ and Jet Boating NZ.A Special Tribunal appointed by the Environment Minister is now considering the application and calling for public submissions.Water Conservation Orders give rivers and lakes the equivalent of National Park-type protection. If the application is successful, it will be only the 16th of New Zealand’s many waterways to be protected by a WCO.The five-person Special Tribunal says that public submissions must be lodged by 4pm Friday 24 August.The Tribunal will then hold a hearing and write a report, including a recommendation on whether to grant the Water Conservation Order.The final decision will be made by the Environment Minister.To make a submission please click on the following the link: www.epa.govt.nz/ ngaruroro Image credit: F&G