Young given right answers on river concerns
Two children who raised concerns about the quality of Geraldine’s rivers are happy with the response they received.
Jamie Roberts and Taya Wynn both spoke at Sunday’s Water Matters forum in Geraldine.
Jamie, 11, a student at Geraldine High School, asked what was being done to stop rivers from being polluted, and got the answer he was looking for.
‘‘They are going to do something about it and the forum discussed the different ways to solve the issues,’’ he said.
Jamie plays water sports and has always shown a keen interest in all things water related.
‘‘I went to Wellington to protest against commercial fishing. I learnt quite a bit about water at the forum,’’ he said.
Taya, 11, a student at Geraldine Primary School, questioned the highly experienced panel on what a child could do to protect Geraldine’s rivers and streams.
The answer was exactly what she wanted.
‘‘They told me, I could join groups that protect water like the Orari River Protection Group or I could become a water scientist when I grow up,’’ Taya said.
Taya has always been interested in nature – animals and water.
‘‘The water forum was very helpful and they also gave me advice on how to start my own group. We cannot keep treating water like we do.
‘‘If our river is gone, the whole water supply is gone,’’ Taya said.
The water forum panel consisted of Willy Leferink (Federated Farmers Dairy chairman), Dr Mike Joy (strong advocate for environmental protection), Dr Alistair Humphrey (Canterbury medical officer of health) Geoff Simmons (economist working for the Morgan Foundation) and John Donkers (chairman of Irrigation)
The forum followed on from the Future Living Festival because it was agreed the Geraldine community faced some challenging issues regarding the quality of the water in the rivers and aquifers.
Events Geraldine co-ordinator Jill Roberts said plans were to be developed through community collaboration.
‘‘In order to create meaningful and fair plans, it is essential that all segments of the community are engaged in this process, and that everyone understands the complex issues.’’