14 thoughts on “NZ water problems look political”

1. Here is an article from NZ Herald talking about their water restrictions and worst drought ever. Also quoting Mayor Phil Goff (Labour). Some photos of water supply dams in their western ranges.

   Auckland’s water shortage: Business faces $700k loss over restrictions – ‘It’s a death sentence’
   www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12331099

2. Try cliflo.niwa.co.nz
   After setting up an account, you can download a couple of million records over two years at no cost.

3. This may seem peripheral, but it is in fact another critical wrinkle on the Waikato embroglio.

   Part of the North Island electricity supply infrastructure (mostly for Auckland) is an older coal fired station that has been close to inundation a number of times during Waikato flood periods. The mine that supplies the coal feed is relatively close but is subject to difficult geological mining conditions, as are most of NZ’s deposits.

   The most efficient mining techniques for the geology risks allowing a flooded Waikato into the mine. To add to this, there are a number of Maori claims on both the surface to the mine’s remaining coal resource, and as it was presented to me also the land on which the power station is located.

   To bypass the need for this power station to underpin reliable electricity supply needs the Waikato hydro to be both unhobbled and dedicated.

4. I did “enroll” in CliFlo Roger.
   I have accessed NZ data for decades – dunno if it has always been thru CliFlo.
   But why should I have to?
   Access to Oz data through BoM is 50 times easier and you do not have to give your ID and “login”.
   NZ is 29 times smaller than Oz yet their weather/climate data is like a Model T when compared to the Oz Porsche.

   I see Nats have a new leader – why should he be any better than the other guy whoever he was – who wooda made a perfectly good Labour PM..

5. Completely O/T, but in this The Winter of Our Discontent, it seems the next chapter in Peter Ridd vs JCU is to occur next Wednesday/Thursday in that JCU’s appeal against the shellacking it deservedly received in the first court bout is to be heard.

   I’m unable to find if this will be podcast. Can anyone supply better detail, please ?

6. Ian the courts have some rules see below from IPA-sorry about some sqiggles something do do with font which I may not have.
   The appeal hearing will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

   This hearing will be a little different to the last one. Though it will be heard by the Federal Court, the hearing itself will be held remotely via video link. However, in the interest of open justice, the court may allow members of the public to observe court proceedings via the internet.

   So, if you are interested in watching Peter’s appeal hearing, you can ask for the court’s permission by following these steps:
   Â

   1. Check that you have the Microsoft Teams software installed. If not, you can download it via this link: www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app

   2. Send an email to the judge’s associate at associate.griffithsj@fedcourt.gov.au with the following text:

   Dear Associate

   I write concerning QUD567/2019 James Cook University v Ridd and refer to National Practitioners and Litigants Guide To Online Hearings And Microsoft Teams (v2).

   I would like to observe, by Microsoft Teams, the appeal. I undertake to: (a) remain silent and hidden (ie microphone on mute and camera disabled); and (b) not to record the proceedings.Â

   I respectfully request a link to attend. My email address for the purpose of receiving a link is [YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS]Â

   Yours faithfully

   [YOUR NAME]

   3. Wait to receive an email from the court providing you with a link and instructions on how to watch the proceedings.

   And as always, we at the IPA will be providing updates and analysis on both days of the hearing, this time featuring the IPA’s Director of Communications Evan Mulholland, who will join me on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon as we discuss our thoughts and observations about the day’s events. You can also follow developments in real time via my Twitter account.

   In the meantime, you can catch up on our previous videos about Peter’s case by clicking here: ipa.org.au/peter-ridd-videos.

7. This article was emailed to me and has an interesting account of the Auckland water supply and the history of the current impasse.
   “BRIAN GAYNOR: Auckland’s water shortages and the process obsession
   Published: Fri, 22 May 2020 By Brian Gaynor
   While most media attention has been focused on covid-19, New Zealand has also
   been experiencing severe drought conditions. The worst affected areas are the Far
   North, Coromandel Peninsula, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland.
   This column focuses on Watercare Services, which supplies water to the Auckland
   region.
   Auckland’s water restrictions are due to several factors, including low rainfall,
   a growing population and massive red tape regarding Watercare’s application to
   take additional water from the Waikato River.
   In late 2013, Watercare asked the Waikato Regional Council to raise its Waikato
   River allocation from 150 million to 350 million litres per day, an increase that
   would have been a huge relief in the current crisis.
   Yet more than six years later, the council insists that Watercare must keep its
   position in the long ‘Waikato River deferral Queue’.
   WRC chair Russ Rimmington said last week: “Legally Waikato Regional Council is
   not allowed to process Watercare’s application until it gets to the front of the
   queue”.
   At present, there are 382 applications in the Waikato River deferral queue with
   Watercare’s 2013 application in 96th place. The other 95 applications must be
   heard before Watercare gets its opportunity.
   WRC resource use director Chris McLay was also reported as saying that under the
   Resource Management Act the council was required to process applications on a
   first-in, first-served basis in order to ensure “a fair and transparent process.”
   Rimmington and McLay have made it clear that the WRC is obsessed with process and
   won’t move any faster than a giant tortoise.
   Water source
   Auckland’s water comes from the Hunua dams (60 percent of volume in the June 2019
   year), Waitakere dams (18 percent), Onehunga aquifer (3 percent), Waikato River
   (17 percent) and other sources (2 percent).
   Yesterday, Watercare’s total storage level was 42.9 percent compared with 76.8
   percent 12 months ago.
   The storage levels of the three largest dams, which accounted for 52 percent of
   Watercare’s water volume last year, was as follows:
   • Mangatangi Dam – 46 percent
   • Upper Mangatawhiri Dam – 39 percent
   • Cosseys Dam – 48 percent
   These are all Hunua dams while the unweighted average of the five Waitakere dams
   was only 29 percent yesterday.
   Total storage has fallen from 50 percent in mid-April to 42.9 percent at present.
   This compares with the record low of 36 percent during the major 1993/94 drought.
   Water usage
   Watercare provides water to households, businesses, and other organisations in
   the Auckland region.
   About 54 percent goes to residential customers, 25 percent to businesses, 5
   percent to users with bulk agreements and the remaining 16 percent is classified
   as ‘non-revenue water’.
   The latter includes water used for fire-fighting, cleaning water mains, burst
   water mains, illegal connections, meter under-reading and network leakages.
   The bulk arrangements include Veolia Water, which is in charge of the Papakura
   water network, and the Waikato District Council, which uses Watercare supply in
   the fast-growing North Waikato region.
   According to an earlier study, showers represent 27 percent of residential water
   usage, washing machines 23 percent, toilets 18 percent, taps 14 percent and
   outdoor, including gardens and car washing, 12 percent.
   As we use more shower water in winter than summer, we will continue to be asked
   to curtail our shower time until the winter rains finally arrive. This should be
   in June, July and August, the wettest months of the year.
   Rainfall, supply & usage
   Watercare publishes a weekly supply update with the latest information dated
   Monday, May 18.
   The data shows that rainfall for the previous seven days was 88.5 percent below
   normal and rainfall for the ensuing seven days was forecast to be 87.1 percent
   below normal.
   Usage for the week ending May 18 was 428 million litres per day (MLD) with the
   company’s water sources for the week as follows: Hunua and Waitakere dams (62.5
   percent), Waikato River (33.5 percent) and the Onehunga aquifer (3.9 percent).
   These supply figures show a significant change from the full 2018/19 year when
   the dams supplied 78 percent of Watercare’s water and the Waikato River 17
   percent.
   The 428 MLD usage last week compares with a peak weekly 2020 summer usage of 568
   MLD.
   2013 Drought
   After the severe 1993/94 drought, Watercare decided to use the Waikato River as a
   source and to construct the Waikato Water Treatment Plant. This eventually
   reached capacity of 150 MLD.
   This meant that the Waikato River was able to meet more than 25 percent of
   Auckland’s requirement during the 2013 drought and ensured a reliable supply of
   water during that period.
   Watercare realised the importance of the Waikato River during the 2013 drought
   and in December 2013 lodged an application to raise the volume of water extracted
   from the river from 150 MLD to 350 MLD. It planned to progressively uplift this
   higher volume over a 35-year period but decided to apply for the full extra 200
   MLD in 2013.
   Watercare’s 2013, 2014 and 2015 annual reports referred to the additional 200 MLD
   application but there has been limited mention of this development since then.
   Board of directors
   Watercare’s board papers and minutes are published on its website.
   Board meetings appear to be incredibly process-driven as the same items are
   repeated month after month.
   The 2013 Waikato River application is rarely mentioned and it appears – at least
   on the surface – to have become a low priority as far as the board is concerned.
   This is consistent with the treatment of the 2013 application in the annual
   report.
   The word drought was used for the first time in the February 20 board agenda when
   it noted “the company has a drought management plan which determines that water
   restrictions will be triggered when the dam levels are below 50 percent and with
   our current dam levels of 75 percent, we are not contemplating restrictions. In
   practice, if restrictions are imposed, this is done by council, not Watercare”.
   The mood had changed completely by the next board meeting, held on April 28, with
   the drought mentioned 32 times and the board papers including a letter sent to
   Auckland mayor Phil Goff by Watercare’s chair Margaret Devlin.
   However, board papers give the impression that Watercare directors are
   essentially reactive, focused on process and slow-moving.
   There has been no suggestion in board papers that the chairs of Watercare,
   Waikato Regional Council and Auckland mayor Goff should sit in a room, bang heads
   together and remain there until they have resolved the Waikato River water issue.
   Latest
   The good news is that Auckland is forecast to have 25mm or more rain on Sunday
   and Monday and two weeks ago Watercare made a new application to extract an
   additional 100 MLD of water from the Waikato River.
   The 2013 application sought to extract water from the Waikato River throughout
   the year, but the latest application only seeks to take water during the October
   to April period when the river is above median flow and has ample water.
   No restrictions are anticipated in the May to September period when water levels
   are usually high.
   The latest application can be processed outside the Waikato River deferral queue
   and the WRC believes that it “will be processed over the coming months”.
   This is totally inconsistent with the council’s rigid approach towards the 2013
   application.
   Unfortunately, it has taken Watercare and the Waikato Regional Council a long
   time to reach this point because both organisations have had far too much focus
   on process, rather than problem solving.
   This obsession with process, rather than the dry summer, has been the main
   catalyst for Auckland’s water restrictions.”

8. Thanks cementafriend.

   It is indeed in the interests of open justice that these proceedings be publicly available in real time.

   We expect only that JCU will again stonewall, repeating the line that Peter Ridd broke his employment rules by going public with his criticisms. The issue is that we want to see JCU humiliated again, without the selective spin the MSM applies post-hoc.

9. Hi

   Try the Waikato Regional Council. They monitor rivers for flood risk. This includes river levels and river flow rates. The Waikato River has a fairly continuous flow of around 150 to 175 cumecs. They also measure rainfall for flood risk. Something like:
   riverlevelsmap.waikatoregion.govt.nz/

   You might need to explore the site a bit. Probably best to pick a recording station and explore the data for that site.

   The hydro-power generating companies may do something similar.

10. Been away a few daze as www access stuffed up during house moving process. Should slowly pickup signs of normal.

11. This is the page I got Roger
    

12. RobR, Transpower have an extremely elaborate system of measuring water flow and levels in the Waikato River. Not sure why but Transpower were (10 years ago) responsible for River flow through the dams. Transpower were at that time responsible for Hydro electricity generation plus the electricity generated by each of the Geothermal stations. Reverting back to this nonsense about the WDC and their restrictions on prioritising applications for water extraction rights, Auckland Watercare draw their water from just north of Tuakau. For those unfamiliar with the Waikato River this is very close to the Tasman Sea. The WR at point Auckland Watercare (AW) draw the water is affected by tidal influence. Therefore the arguments being promoted in support of not considering the AW resource application are facitious. The real facts are not being provided to those seeking the truth. Another factor which seems to alluded the brains trust at Waikato District Council is AW will be the last party to draw water from the WR before it disgoges the massive volumes of fresh water into the Tasman Sea. I am advised there are no existing or potential water rights between the AW treatment plant and the ocean. One really then has to ask why WDC is claiming all applications must be heard in order of filing to ensure fairness. It is not like the WR is ever going to run dry! If logic had anything to do with the decision making and consent process AW would be allowed o extract as much water as required to meet their needs. Unfortunately for AW this scenario is not in accordance with the greedy Iwi agenda and why WDC will not elevate this matter to their approval agenda with the two non elected but powerful Iwi members on WDC stopping this issue to progress. In the meantime Aucklands 1.6M plus population are under very strict water useage restrictions. This is madness and should have been sorted yesterday but weak leadership at WA and ACC have allowed his situation to stagnate and now they have a water supply crisis to deal with. The bottom line is Iwi believe they own the water. How and why is beyond belief. I guess we should consult the mystical Taniwha for an answer? That would be a waste of time as we all know the simple answer is koha or in other words a levy on every litre of water extracted from rivers, aquifers, dams or whatever water source that exists in New Zealand.

13. The Waikato as at Mercer where the Auckland intake is, shows very little variability. About a third of the water comes down the Waipa and tributaries below Karapiro, the bottom dam on the main stem. Here is what the current flows are:
    www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/services/regional-services/river-levels-and-rainfall/river-levels-and-flow-latest-reading/
    and here is variability:
    www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/services/regional-services/river-levels-and-rainfall/floods-and-flow/waikato-flows-map/
    And from an encyclopedia:
    Serious floods usually result from a fresh from its main tributary, the Waipa River, coming at a time of high base flow in the Waikato. The greatest known flood occurred in 1907 when the peak discharge at the Taupo outfall was 7,350 cusecs, and that at Mercer in the lower Waikato was estimated as being 60,000 cusecs. Minimum flows of less than 7,000 cusecs have been recorded in the latter area.

    Taking all of Auckland’s water from Mercer would hardly make a measurable flow difference

14. Just saw this, could this be good news?
    I am thinking how reliable are their long range forecasts?
    Dry 2020 forecast: Auckland’s water woes turn ‘critical’
    www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12342120