Save St Arnaud's Wetland

Kia ora Aotearoa,

We are in the middle of a legal battle to protect our precious wetland located beside Beechnest Drive in St Arnaud, nestled by the Nelson Lakes National Park.

This is a wetland which is unsuitable for building; however, the developer has excavated massive holes and backfilled them with hardfill (e.g. one of the 10 holes is 13m x 20m and estimated 3-4m deep).

A restrictive covenant on the wetland allows two dwellings to be built, however the developer wants to subdivide further and sell a total of 10 sections. This will have an extremely degrading effect on the wetland. Tasman District Council website states that “95% of wetlands on private land have been lost in Tasman” which “makes the remaining wetlands very valuable”.

Wetlands are highly productive and biologically diverse systems that enhance water quality, control erosion, maintain stream flows, sequester carbon, and provide a home to at least one third of all threatened and endangered species

As you walk along Beechnest Drive, everyone enjoys the uninterrupted panorama of mountains with the wetlands in the foreground, framed by views of Mt Robert and the majestic St Arnaud range in the background.

This is a beautiful family-friendly area, accessible to all, which will be lost if this development proceeds.

Don’t let this wealthy developer destroy our precious environment!