A Fair Hearing for the Shotover River
Help our community-group fund freshwater & legal experts that will influence the Shotover/Kimi-ākau River's future.
Queenstown, Otago
In March 2025, Queenstown Lakes District Council began discharging treated wastewater directly into the Shotover River under emergency powers. That decision is now before the Environment Court.
Queenstown Lakes Community Action (QLCA) is a volunteer-led community group representing local interests in this case. We led the protest when the discharge began and are now continuing that work through the Court process.
The Environment Court is now considering retrospective consent for that discharge, along with the risks, safeguards, and long-term implications. Environment Court decisions rely heavily on expert evidence. Without independent, credible experts, community groups can struggle to be on equal footing with well-resourced councils.
We are participating to contribute independent freshwater ecological evidence, alongside the important cultural perspectives being presented by rūnanga, and to ensure community voices are part of the process. To do this, we need to raise funds to bring that expertise before the Court. Funds will be used for independent freshwater ecology expertise and legal support.
This is about making sure decisions that affect our river are informed by a complete and balanced body of evidence.
Any contribution, big or small, will make a real difference. Thankyou!
Use of funds
Funds will go directly to cover the cost of expert witnesses & legal representation for the Environment Court case on direct wastewater discharge into the Shotover River, including scientific expertise, court evidence and cross-examination.
Other page links
Latest update
Catching up on all that has been happening! 6 June 2026
Sorry we have been so quiet! We have been in the mediation process over the last couple of months and we are pretty restricted through that process on what we can share. Mediation has now finished - it was tough! - and we are pretty hppy with what we achieved. We haven't resolved everything but have definitely made some headway.
The next stage is expert conferencing - where the expert witnesses (including ours) get together to identify what is agreed and what is still outstanding. That will happen in September. Then there is the hearing itself before the judge in the Environment Court in November.
We still have a long way to go on our goal. We have a great lawyer and expert witnesses who are being amazing in their support but we do need to cover their costs. Please share our posts and help us to make sure the Shotover River has a voice and our community is heard.
Thank you to everyone for your support and kind messages. We so appreciate everyone's encouragement!
Latest donations
Thank you so much for your support!
Thank you Paula for your generous donation! We are very grateful for every dollar and how it helps us make sure the Shotover has a voice!
Thank you so much Mark for your donation! Love the community support we have received!
Thank you so much for your support. Every contribution helps us continue advocating for the protection of the Shotover River and ensures the community's voice is heard throughout the Environment Court process. We are incredibly grateful.
Your generosity means a great deal to us. This campaign is entirely community-driven, and your donation helps us access the expert advice we need to participate effectively in the upcoming hearings. Thank you for standing with us.
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