IrrigationNZ - Chief Executive Lacks Environmental Awareness
The New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers, a leading angling and freshwater advocacy organisation, has lambasted
Andrew Curtis of IrrigationNZ accusing him of a ‘profit before the environment mentality’.
David Haynes, president of the trout and rivers advocacy Federation said IrrigationNZ was narrowly focused on commercial
exploitation of the public’s rivers for private profiteering.
"IrrigationNZ is a wholly tax payer subsidised entity set up to promote the damming of rivers, and diverting them for
irrigation schemes supplying intensive agriculture, resulting in polluted groundwater and degraded or dried up rivers,”
he said.
Dams and irrigation destroy rivers by reducing flow, oxygen and fish passage as well as increasing water temperatures
and algal blooms. This combined with the highly regulated river flows which cause "bed armouring" means dams reduce
freshwater biodiversity and destroy fish spawning opportunity for both native fish and acclimatised ones like trout and
salmon.
IrrigationNZ’s CEO Andrew Curtis recently criticised the Cawthron Institute's research1 which showed far higher minimum
flow levels than originally thought were needed to enable fish to survive in our rivers. IrrigationNZ claimed the study
should have focused on native fish and not trout.
“IrrigationNZ’s CEO is afflicted with 'exotic-phobia’ when he tries to damn so-called introduced trout. Trout have been
here for 150 years, just like humans,” said David Haynes.
The Cawthron Institute, in conjunction with NIWA released their report to worldwide acclaim after 15 years of extensive
research. The Cawthron/NIWA report states that 'the principles learnt (from studying trout) also apply to other
drift-feeding fish, including juvenile salmon and native species - such as some whitebait'.
"Andrew Curtis lacks both the knowledge and appreciation of freshwater flow requirements for fish, so his outburst lacks
all credibility" said David Haynes. "Like our trout fishery, the Cawthron Institute is internationally recognised and
respected. Mr Curtis, is maintaining his comfortable employment with IrrigationNZ, an organisation whose job is
promoting intensive irrigation at any cost”.
David Haynes said IrrigationNZ and its CEO seemed totally out of touch with the reality of degraded rivers and dry
riverbed where once flowed water for 12 months of the year.
"Their old-world views are in stark contrast with the overwhelming public opinion that our rivers and lakes should have
sufficient quantity and quality of freshwater to support healthy aquatic ecosystems and enable us to swim in them”
continued Mr Haynes.
Footnote: (1) A copy of the report can be found at: http://www.cawthron.org.nz/coastal-freshwater/news/2016/trout-and-native-fish-need-more-water-we-think-research-finds/#sthash.wlc9Hpds.dpuf
ENDS