Does Meridian Energy own for all time the water that flows in the rivers and fills the dams and powers its generators? Clearly Meridian Energy thinks so or it would not have taken legal action against Canterbury farmers who wanted water for irrigation.
Does any New Zealand Government have the right to sell Meridian Energy's water right to the highest bidder? Clearly the Government hopes so to plug a short-term hole in its budget.
But what of the future? Who knows what innovation might require some of that water?
The fact we cannot predict the future underlies the Maori kaitiakitanga idea of natural resource guardianship. Protection to meet the unknown needs of future generations.
As a country we need to recognise and value Maori's long term approach, prioritise that kind of thinking when planning the use of finite natural resources, and thank our lucky stars for the weight and foresight of the Treaty of Waitangi.
You might also like to read what the Waitangi Tribunal had to say to Government on the 30th July. You can read that here. I thoroughly recommend it.
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