Contact Energy has announced that it won't be proceeding with proposed hydro development options for Luggate (25m, 86MW), Queensberry (14m, 160MW), Beaumont (30m, 185MW) and Tuapeka Mouth (50m, 350MW).

Whitewater NZ Access Officer Matt Bennett has been following up on the Aratiatia situation and provides the following update:

Last month a group of kayakers including Ben Brown and other Red Bull athletes were unable to kayak at Aratiatia. The group initially paddled the lower section of the Aratiatia rapids on the Waikato River. It was a warm up run and their intention was to scout the full rapid and paddle it on the next release.

Josh Neilson (Southern Underground Productions) is touring his latest extreme sport documentary Transcendance featuring Mike Abbott (whitewater kayaker), William Trubridge (freediver), Vanessa Quin (downhill mountain biker), Jokke Somer (wingsuit base jumper). This documentary offers an insight into the extreme sports experience backed by the research of Dr Eric Brymer.

Access 10 on the Tongariro River (below Poutu Intake) will be flowing at natural flow from 16 to 28 April, while Genesis Energy undertakes routine maintenance at Tokaanu Power Station. For river flow see http://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/genesis/generation/rivers-lakes-and-rainf...

It's time for NZ Canoeing 12.1 with articles such as Whitewater New Zealand News, Safety Course Subsidy, Women on Whitewater (Kylie Laxton-Blinkhorn), Conservation Update (Tony Ward-Holmes), NZKS turns 20! (Sarah Fawcett), Mōkihinui, Mōkihinui, Mōkihinui, Mōkihinui, Eh (Mick Hopkinson), How good is your rescue kit and techniques? Part 2 (Matt Barker), Wairehu Playhole (Matt Bennett), Releases and Events.

Ben Brown reports that yesterday police prevented a group of kayakers from running the Aratiatia rapid on the Waikato river. The Police are presumably enforcing clause 3.9.1(d) in the Waikato Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw (PDF, 1.3MB) that states, "Not operate any vessels (other than for maintenance purposes) within 200 metres of the Taupo gates and hydro dam structures on the Waikato River." (PDF, 1.3MB). This rule has not been enforced on kayakers on Aratiatia before now and the rapid has been increasingly paddled since the first descent in 1998. Kayakers intending to descend Aratiatia can try submitting a "Bylaw exemption application form" to obtain an exemption from clause 3.9.1(d). Note the $125.00 fee.

The NZ Conservation Authority (NZCA) released a report late in 2011 entitled Protecting New Zealand’s Rivers. The full report is available on the Department of Conservation website, www.doc.govt.nz and is well worth a read. The NZCA is an appointed representative body whose role is to advise the Minister of Conservation and the Director-General of Conservation.

River Safety and River Rescue Course subsidies of $100 are available to Whitewater NZ members, thanks to the generous support of Water Safety NZ. You can join a course organised by the NZ Kayak School or contact any NZOIA kayak level 2 instructor to run a course for you. Read Course details and subsidy forms. These courses have great content; if you have never taken one there's no time like the present!