option4 Update #133

If you are old enough to remember your mother using a mouli to vitamise chunky food then you probably grew up in the baby-boom era.

The major concerns relate to the effects their swinging blades will have on the fisheries, the environment and access.

The Environment Court’s interim decision notes that Crest Energy said, “it would avoid any potential adverse effects as being of low, almost negligible probability, but some with possibly high impact, for instance on the rare and endangered Maui dolphin”.

West coasters have been through years of debate about harbour closures to protect these vulnerable dolphins.

It seems incredible now, after banning commercial fishing in this area, that the authorities will condone the installation of these turbines with unknown consequences.

(Click on image for larger view)

Even the scientists poorly understand the effects of having multiple generators rotating at about ten revolutions per minute creating electro-magnetic fields.

Another unknown is the impact on the nursery habitat of juvenile fish populations. The Kaipara currently sustains young fish utilising the horse mussel beds and subtidal seagrass meadows.

Moreover, all fishing within the vicinity of the harbour entrance will be prohibited. The hugely popular fishing destination of The Graveyard will certainly become a ghost town, as all effort is likely to be displaced within the Harbour.

The impacts of shifting so much effort into the Kaipara’s upper reaches is likely to be noticed first by those communities who fish to sustain their families; and what chance will they have of having their concerns addressed a decade from now?

Not surprisingly, local Maori, Ngati Whatua and Te Uri o Hau have been vociferous in their opposition to the Crest Energy proposal.