Meet with Fleur Mathews from the ORC last week on the Manuherikia. As many of you will know she is driving the proposed changes to the permitted activity and is what we are fighting by way of our givealittle page.
Long story short - Fleur is actually a reasonable individual. She has know clue how a dredge operates or why it is so important wee keep our permitted activity.
I showed her a working dredge and how it operates including her putting her hand up the powerjet while it run showing it causes no disturbance to fish. Also showed her tomatoes going up the nozzle unharmed and proving any fish that do go up no ham is caused.
She was surprised at how quiet and how little sediment was created and got to show her fish feeding of the back of the dredge . Will post some pics
There is a chance that they may drop the attack on us and I have suggested we are open to dialogue and to work out a pragmatic solution
Updates on freshwater ecologist findings to be supplied soon to you all
That sounds like a very positive display. Well done with the education. I suspect a lot of people involved in the legislative don’t have much of an idea of what small scale suction dredging is, even many of the people admin’ing claims at NZPAM.
Awesome job Chris – they clearly didn’t know how it works! We do and we do it sustainably – we are here to have a great time and look after nature in the process. I don’t know about anyone else but we clean up all the garbage we find bring it home and recycle it. Well done representing us little guys.
Great work. Loved the bit about the tomato! My husband doesn’t see that much fish life around when dredging but when he does, they are usually hanging around him looking for tidbits that he has unearthed.He once had a claim in the Wakamarina River and it wasn’t unusual to spend 4 days dredging down to bedrock, only for Mother Nature to fill it back in in a day. There is nothing more disturbing to river beds than Mother Nature herself.
As you requested, I provided feedback to Otago Council on the the proposed changes on my husband’s behalf. He doesn’t do computers. I am pleased to see you have gained some traction.Keep up the great work.
that’s what’s needed aye!
