Race weekend
There are three interesting races this weekend. The Coast to Coast leaves Kumara this morning with reports that drought conditions on the Waimakariri river* are such that there is no chance of any records being broken. Presumably kayaks don’t go too fast when they are dragging along the bottom of a river bed. Race organisers are drawing a link between irrigation of farm lands and the difficulties for the race. Irrigation is one of the same problems that last week’s Environment 2007 report identified as threatening our water quality.
The increase in total water allocation in New Zealand between 1999 and 2006 can largely be explained by the increase in demand for irrigation. The amount of consented irrigated land in New Zealand increased by 52 per cent over this period, which was an annual rate of increase of 7 per cent.
The vast majority of that increase was in the Canterbury region.
Meanwhile some of New Zealand’s estimated 100 or so remaining Maui dolphins may get a less than necessary close up view of the Thundercat speedboat race at Piha this weekend. The Maui dolphin is a sub-species of the Hector’s dolphin - the world’s smallest and rarest marine dolphin found no where else in the world. Maui dolphins are on the brink of extintion, so it is an unusal choice to drive a speedboat race through their young families.
And finally there is a rumour that a Green MP is competing in this Valentines Triathlon on Sunday on a borrowed bike. Hopefully I’ll have results from this weekend of sport on Monday.
*Radio NZ audio link which will expire soon
February 8th, 2008 at 11:23 am
If there is one thing I miss from my time in Canterbury it is the coast to coast race, it is a fantastic event and another example of what free enterprise can do if it is not obstructed by bureaucrats.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
… or perhaps you could also argue that it is the unfettered free enterprise of industrial dairy farming that is obstructing the race’s future?
February 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
You could argue that Frog……but you would be wrong.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I find it curious that they’d simply increase the consents without requiring more rain to fall. Maybe they forgot to send the notice of increased requirements to the weather department?
BJ
February 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
The water is that bloody low in the “Mak” you don’t need a fishing rod upstream too hook a salmon, just take a pair of gumboots and pick them up, as the river is running dry and the fish are high and dry.
I can’t wait for Lake Milk to be built.
When will dumb arse kiwi’s learn?
No in my life time matey !!
What a country.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
The river level is that low in the “once mighty Mak ” you don’t need a fishing license or rod, because the fish are high and dry and you can pick them up.
I can’t wait for Lake Milk to be built!
February 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
# big bro Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
> You could argue that Frog……but you would be wrong.
Really? Are you suggesting it’s climate change that’s causing the river to have hardly any water in it. Of course climate change is likely to have an effect in the long term, but not that much as the majority of the water in these rivers comes from the alpine climatic zone rather than the eastern one. There is no doubt that the low level of the river is due to people taking water out of the river to make milk to sell to China (and other countries).
February 9th, 2008 at 4:59 am
BJ, Central Plains Water Co. has changed it’s plans so dramatically it’s hard to see how the original consents can still be valid. By a curious coincidence the consenting councils are all shareholders in CPW.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Frog, Since the thudercats are souped up surf lifesaving rescue boats it would be difficult for the council to refuse permission for a thundercat race if it consents to surf life saving carnivals at Piha. The photos on the thundercat website show a shroud around the propeller. I’m sure this would reduce the risk of physical damage to dolphins. Perhaps it should be mandatory on all off shore or near shore power boats.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:29 am
BJ: Until very recently water was considered an infinite resource in Canterbury. Many still consider that water is still an infinite resource…
February 9th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
It might be useful to build a few more reservoirs and dams about the place.
Water storage and infrastructure except for the hydro lakes, seems pretty scant in NZ, compared to other places I have lived. This probably is due to the benign climate of the past 100 years and the erroneous expectation that we don’t need to worry about it.
We do have to worry about it.
BJ
February 9th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Hi BJ
There are a number of reasons why building huge mega dams for irrigation in Canterbury doesnt make sense
Firstly the main purpose of the proposed storage dams in Canterbury (such as CPW) is to support land transformation from dryland sheep farming to intensive dairying systems which is highly water and energy dependent. Many people feel that it does not make sense to increase water dependency in a water short region.
Furthermore because of the shallow soils on the Canterbury intensive dairying in this area causes water quality in the aquifers and lowland streams to become degraded very quickly. Nitrates, e-coli and other contaminants all get into the waterways all too easily.
Finally the building and construction of the dam will involve pushing farmers off their land and destroying community spirit in the area. Who wants to live just meters downstream from a 30 m high dam wall holding back 290 million cubic meters of water?
I recommend you visit http://www.stopthedam.org.nz/ to find out more about why there is so much opposition to the CPW scheme from locals.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
BJ, The title of this post is rather apt. The water infrastructure used by farmers particularly in North Canterbury is mainly water races constructed by district roads boards and run holders in the 19th century. An impressive water race scheme can be seen around Culverden on Googlemaps. They seem to be designed to use the flow of spring meltwater in the Waiau to fill the races. As far as I can tell from travelling through the area the water is stored in the races and flooded onto individual fields, probably before planting grains. It is possible that summer rains in the higher country may occasionally raise river levels enough to refill the races.
February 10th, 2008 at 10:03 am
My comment about the water infrastructure and dams was not specific to a big dam in Canterbury or the current nature of that arrangement.
I observe communities ion the North Island that simply don’t do “water storage” to speak of. Most of the rain on the West Coast of South Island fails to do anyone any good at all.
My comment was more akin to my criticism of every council in the country that just approving infrastructure projects less than 20 meters above Mean High Water. Right now we should be shifting our population and infrastructure out of reach of the next 300 years of potential flood. Do it THAT way and it’s relatively cheap. Waiting til the flooding occurs gets expensive as hell.
It isn’t EASY to put water where its needed instead of where it falls, but it is easier than drinking dust.
respectfully
BJ
February 11th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Using this link
http://flood.firetree.net/
to show the effects of a 14m rise in sea levels produces this list of settlements that end up under water.
Picton, Blenheim, Kaikoura, Kaiapoi, half of Christchurch, Lyttleton, Lincoln, Little River, Akaroa, Washdyke, Oamaru, Dunedin CBD, Milton, Balclutha, Invercargill, Tiwai Pt, Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, Nelson, Motueka. Wellinton railway station, Lower Hutt, Kapiti Coast west of SH1, Foxton, Wanganui, Waitara, Raglan, Huntly to Pokeno, Waiuku, Drury, Mangere to Southdown, Middlemore to Pakuranga, Helensville, Kaukapakapa, Dargaville, Kaitaia to Waipapakauri, Waitangi, Paihia, Russell, central Whangarei, Marsden Pt, Mangawhai, Omaha, Puhoi, Orewa, Devonport, Clevedon, the entire Hauraki Plains, Thames, Coromandel, Whitianga, Pauanui, Whangamata, Bay of Plenty east of SH2, Edgecumbe, Whakatane, Opotiki, Tologa Bay, Gisborne, Wairoa, Napier-Hastings.
No wonder they are waiting for the sea level to rise before doing anything.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I’m happy to report that during the Coast-To-Coast kayaking, the water level was high enough to allow the safety/rescue support jet boats to reach Esk (at the top of the Waimak gorge) from the bottom end.
Trevor.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I always wanted to have a go a kayaking, it would have to be on something clam like a lake or something.
I love the last paragraph about the Green MP is competing in a triathlon on a “borrowed bike”, is that a dig to say that they should have a bike if they are a Green MP?