Managing the amount of water in the Clutha/Mata-au will ensure there is always enough water in this iconic river to meet the environmental, cultural, economic and recreational needs of the community. 

To achieve this, minimum flows and water allocation limits may be set for the main stems of the Clutha/Mata-au, Kawarau and Hawea rivers as part of developing changes to Otago’s Water Plan. Lake level and water allocation limits may also be set for lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka, Hawea, Dunstan and Roxburgh. 

ORC Director Policy Planning & Resource Management Tanya Winter acknowledges that the Clutha River/Mata-au plays a huge role in commercial and recreational activity in the region, as well as contributing to the aesthetic appeal of Otago as a destination. 

“Water is important to people for many different reasons. We are holding a number of sessions around Otago to get an understanding of how the community values the Clutha River/Mata-au all the way along its various twists and bends, and including its source and hydro lakes,” she said. 

The first round of consultations will be geared towards getting feedback from the public about what they value about the Clutha River/Mata-au. Following this, ORC will prepare reports on hydrology and values. It will then identify management options for minimum flow and allocation limits and assess the impacts of the options on social, economic and cultural values. The aim of the plan change is to manage the amount of water in the Clutha River/Mata-au.    

The options and reports will be put forward for public consultation in a second round of sessions, beginning mid-2018. 

The first-round of public consultation sessions commence in Queenstown on 22 November and finish in Balclutha on 5 December. Members of the public can also have their say by providing their feedback online on ORC’s website. To provide feedback online, or for further information on the public consultation sessions, please go to: www.orc.govt.nz/clutha.

Session times

For more information contact

Tanya Winter
Director Policy Planning & Resource Management
ORC
Ph 0800 474 082 or 027 411 9459

Communications contact

Sian Sutton
Director Stakeholder Engagement

Ph 0800 474082 or 027 575 1799
Email: sian.sutton@orc.govt.nz