Re-Imagining Wild Rivers in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

If wilderness is dead, do wild rivers exist and if so, in what form and in whose construction? This reflective article reviews perspectives on rivers in Aotearoa New Zealand as wild or tamed entities. A historical overview of the socio-cultural and institutional relationships with rivers examines the meanings of rivers in Aotearoa New Zealand through multiple lenses. This includes indigenous Māori knowledge, command-and-control mentalities of a settler society that assert human authority over rivers, the emergence of the environmental movement and associated legislation with a sustainability focus (the Resource Management Act), and recent movement towards co-governance arrangements that incorporate the original intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840). It is contended that management practices have disconnected society from rivers, and vice versa, creating a sense of environmental loss (solastalgia), especially for Māori. Using rivers in the Greater Wellington Region as examples, prospects to accommodate wild river behaviour in Aotearoa New Zealand are explored. Recognising that re-wilding is no longer a feasible option in most instances, further attempts to tame rivers are also considered to be unrealistic, especially in light of climate change and accentuated flood risk. Reconnecting with indigenous knowledge offers prospects to re-imagine wild rivers in Aotearoa, living generatively with rivers as dynamic and emergent entities.

How Do Weather Conditions and Environmental Characteristics Influence Aesthetic Preferences of Freshwater Environments?

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“…Actors take positions by immersing themselves in the valley and studying its new configuration. To date, the Sélune Valley has been characterized by the lack of local collective support for dam removal, unlike most such operations that, for example, had the support of Indigenous peoples in North America (Brewitt 2019, Diver et al 2022) and New Zealand (Brierley et al 2022) or, elsewhere, from environmental nongovernmental organizations (Gosnell andKelly 2010, Sneddon et al 2017). The only grassroots collective to speak out about dam removal has been the "Friends of the Dam" association that fought the project, whereas the actors who called for removal of the Sélune Dam ("Friends of the Sélune") are outsiders who failed to find a local ally in the valley (Germaine and Lespez 2017).…”

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