Wairoa River (Bay of Plenty)

Looking at the Wairoa River now, flowing north into Tauranga Harbour, it's hard to imagine the debate that happened here in the mid-1970s. The Tauranga Joint Generation Committee wanted to put in a hydroelectric power scheme, using both the Opuiaki and Wairoa Rivers. But the Kaimai Canoe Club, which had just started up with Barry Anderson, Bill Ross, Kerry Smith, and Peter Entwistle, fought against it. They argued at the water rights hearings that it would ruin the fishing, sports, and recreation for everyone, now and in the future.

They did reach a compromise though: water gets released 26 days a year for whitewater recreation. The last dam here actually diverts water around the riverbed, sending it to the Ruahihi Power Station. TrustPower manages the power scheme on the river these days.