Rescue plan for rare ducks at risk from power station

A last-minute rescue plan has been drawn up to save one of the country's rarest birds from being washed away during work on a power station when rivers will rise by up to five times their normal level.

Whio, or blue duck, nests may have to be flown to safety after Genesis Energy gave short notice of its plans to replace weed screens at its Tokaanu power station at Lake Rotoaira, between Tongariro National Park to the south and Lake Taupo to the north.

The birds nest on the banks of clean, turbulent rivers, putting them on a collision course with hydro power provider Genesis, particularly along the banks of the the Whakapapa, Upper Whanganui and Mangatepopo Rivers which flow through Tongariro.

The area is a last stronghold for whio but their nests and food source are under threat from the increased flows, which will begin tomorrow. At least two nests are in danger of being washed away and deeper water could make it difficult for the ducks to find their favourite food, invertebrates that live on rocks on river beds.

The rarely seen, blue-grey ducks are listed on the World Conservation Union's international "red list" of threatened species and are thought to number as few as 500 pairs throughout the country.

Department of Conservation field staff and independent conservationists are unhappy Genesis gave little warning of its intentions, telling DoC staff in the middle of last month.

A spokeswoman for Genesis said the "multimillion-dollar" project could not be carried out in winter and the ducks' plight had been taken into account.

If nests had to be rescued, they would be flown to Christchurch where the chicks would be raised in captivity and then re-released back into the wild.