Background

You’ve likely heard of the proposal to dam the Kaituna River by now, but if not, this update provides a clear overview of the background, current status, and potential impacts of the project.

Taheke 8C, a Maori landowner group, is pushing for a dam below the trout pools that will drown Pari Whakahihi/Awesome Gorge (including the upper slalom training grounds), and dry Pari Tukino/Gnarly Gorge, before returning a highly variable flow back to Pari Kohukohu/Smokey Gorge. These sections are of immense recreational importance to both the local and international paddling communities. Their loss to this small-scale hydro scheme would be a devastating blow to the kayaking community.

Timeline of Events & Whitewater NZ’s Opposition:

May 27, 2024
🚫 Taheke 8C initially privately submitted for Fast-track Approvals consideration without consulting key stakeholder groups and was initially denied inclusion.

November 15, 2024
📢 Taheke 8C proposes the project to Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority, and even at this stage, had still not managed to consult with any of the 5 River Iwi or other key stakeholder groups such as whitewater river users. In this meeting, they claimed they would consult with affected stakeholder groups like river iwi and river users. They have widely failed to follow through on this commitment.

December 18, 2024
🔍 Whitewater NZ shares information about the Taheke 8C dam proposal – this marks the first time many other stakeholder groups who value the river hear about this proposal.

December 23, 2024
⚖️ Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 is passed by Parliament, confirming a new pathway for developments like this one.

February 7, 2025
📋 New submissions under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 can begin, including previously declined “unlisted” projects such as Taheke 8C’s proposal.

March 14, 2025
💪 Tapuika Iwi Authority presents unanimous opposition from all 5 river iwi to the scheme at the Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority meeting. This opposition is driven by a lack of respectful engagement and recognition from the consultants and concerns about cultural impacts, such as the negative effect of the dam on the Mauri of the Kaituna River (further insights here). Additional iwi and hapu groups with connections to the Kaituna/Ōkere awa have also illustrated opposition to the proposal.

April 17, 2025
⚠️ Taheke 8C applies for the project to be reconsidered for referral under the Fast-Track Approvals Act. Again, they fail to meet their commitment to respectful, inclusive engagement, after a thinly veiled attempt at public engagement via a stakeholder meeting only two days prior on April 15, 2025!

May 1, 2025
❌ Fast track referral application deemed non-compliant! In accordance with section 14(5) of the Act, the referral application was deemed non-compliant, and the application was returned to Taheke 8C. No further updates are known to WWNZ at this time, but the application has not been declined and can be reconsidered if a compliant referral application is submitted. Whilst this initial pushback is a win for the Kaituna awa, we continue to monitor the situation closely.

Current Focus: Continue to monitor the situation closely.

→ Whitewater NZ will continue to work extremely hard to challenge the Fast Track referral application to prevent it from reaching the resource consent stage!

Why Whitewater NZ Opposes This Project

Recreational Losses

The lower gorges of the Kaituna/Ōkere River are a world-class whitewater kayaking destination and provide essential recreational opportunities for the local community and visitors alike. It is one of the best training grounds for slalom paddlers as well, and one of the few sections of class III, IV, and V whitewater paddling that is not subject to dam releases by resource consent agreements in the North Island.

Lack of Consultation

Despite promises, Taheke 8C has failed to properly consult with key stakeholders, including kayakers, river iwi, and downstream landowners. This ranges from an inability to answer simple questions, provide transparency in their plans, and general poor faith engagement. This consistently unacceptable behaviour gives little faith that they respect the shared value of the Kaituna/Ōkere awa ecosystem, or that they will provide sufficient mitigation if not challenged in the consent process.

Environmental Impacts

The proposed hydro scheme threatens the ecological integrity of the river system and the diverse wildlife that depends on it. Tuna (eels) and Kōura (crayfish) have used the Kaituna/Ōkere Awa as a traditional migratory route for thousands of years. A proposed residual flow below that of the required ecological minimum set by the Regional plan threatens the health of the awa. In addition, slowing the nutrient-rich waters of Lake Rotoiti can lead to increased algal bloom and periphyton (weed) growth above the dam.

Cultural Significance

The Kaituna/Ōkere Awa holds immense cultural importance for local iwi who have unanimously opposed this development. A summary of some of these important cultural considerations can be found in the Tapuika statement of position on the dam proposal.

Overstated Economic Impact

We believe the economic impact of the dam is vastly overstated. The numbers provided make it clear this is a micro hydro scheme, and will hardly contribute as a regionally or nationally significant renewable energy project by providing at best only 0.2% of NZ annual power requirements. The developers also consistently conflate the benefits of the dam with the envisioned “Taheke 8C Green Energy Hub” which includes a much larger, previously Fast-Track approved Geothermal project. This lends credence to the idea that the dam will have a negligible positive impact – the dam should be assessed on its own merits, and it’s clear the positives do not outweigh the negative impacts.

Our Approach

Throughout 2025, Whitewater NZ has been sharing information about the project as we’ve learned it via our social media channels. We’ve also been conducting a media campaign to inform the public and stakeholder groups on Taheke 8C’s secretive dam project – these press releases have put a spotlight on the dam project:

March 17: Kaituna River kayakers fight plans for hydro-electric scheme

March 20: Olympians hit back against Kaituna River plans

March 28: Possible Kaituna River dam project could have ‘catastrophic impacts’, board hears

April 18: Landowners renew fast-track bid for Kaituna hydro scheme

We have been and are continually working collaboratively with affected stakeholders, including iwi, downstream landowners, and environmental groups, to protect the Kaituna/Ōkere Awa through means both legal and otherwise.

At this stage, we are continuing to pursue all possible avenues to challenge Fast Track referral applications for this project, focusing on stopping it before it advances to the resource consent application stage. We’ll provide updates on how these efforts are evolving – we’re extremely impressed and humbled by offers for help with this task, and commend the widespread, unanimous opposition to the dam from many affected groups we’re working with.

Join Our Effort

Follow our socials (@whitewaternz) for other key updates, spread awareness of what this dam would destroy, and become a Whitewater NZ member to help contribute to our collective voice. This is critically important to help protect this treasured river for future generations.

A massive thanks to those who have already contributed their expert knowledge and helped out in our publicity campaign to raise awareness and combat the proposal! These contributions have been invaluable to our efforts to keep the Kaituna/Ōkere Awa free flowing and enjoyed by all.

---

Note: This timeline was initially based on information available as of April 2025. It has been updated to reflect the current position as of June 2026. Whitewater NZ will endeavour to continue to update as new developments occur, but a live page of updates can be found here.