Let Selwyn River’s state be a grim reminder

Environment Minister Nick Smith’s letter (Nov 19) claiming that proposed Resource Management Act (RMA) changes are ‘‘not rushed’ does not inspire confidence, particularly so in the light of his recent statements such as that it was ‘‘not practical’’ to clean up degraded rivers, that birds were to blame for water-quality declines and that water-quality standards should be ‘‘boatable and wadeable’’ rather than ‘‘swimmable’’.

With these in mind, it makes it all the more imperative to proceed with changes to the RMA with extreme caution and full public consultation.

The Selwyn River’s destruction as outlined (Dec 3) is a grim reminder that the current Government is both in denial and cavalier about the public’s rivers. Charlie Mitchell’s article spelt it out – ‘‘A long stretch of the Selwyn River near Christchurch is barren. Its dry riverbed is snaked by tyre tracks, faint clues of its past as a river disappearing as it becomes a vehicle track. A beloved swimming spot downstream is stagnant. Fish and eels die in their dozens, trapped in pools evaporating around them.’’

The Selwyn’s demise is tragically a classic example of the deterioration of our lowland rivers and the implausibility of New Zealand’s ‘‘100% pure, clean’’ tourism and export marketing slogan.

As a teenager growing up in Canterbury in the 1950s and under the guidance of the late George Ferris and other senior anglers, current NZFFA President Colin Taylor learned to fly fish on the Selwyn, which was then a pure, clear and prolific fly-fishing river. Its current condition is an example of complete environmental mismanagement. Ken Sims NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers spokesman