Malvern Hills Protection Society

The Malvern Hills Protection Society (MHPS) is a New Zealand grassroots environmental organisation focused on conserving the historical, cultural, ecological, environmental and community values of the Malvern Hills District in Canterbury. Its principal cause has been opposition to a proposed earth dam that would have flooded part of the Waianiwaniwa River catchment. The Society developed from the Dam Action Group, a local campaign established in response to the dam proposal. It was subsequently constituted as an incorporated society, giving the campaign a formal organisational structure for public advocacy and participation in environmental and planning processes. The group’s work is centred on the protection of the Malvern Hills landscape and associated waterways rather than on commercial products or services. The proposed project was associated with the Central Plains Water Trust, an organisation established by Christchurch City Council and Selwyn District Council to pursue irrigation development for parts of the Canterbury Plains. The dam was presented in the context of expanding or securing irrigation supply, while MHPS and its predecessor campaign argued that the project threatened the natural environment, landscape character and wider community values of the affected district. Mojo Mathers is identified as one of the Society’s founding members. Beyond the dam campaign and its formal incorporation, publicly available reference material provides limited information about the Society’s officeholders, membership, finances, current programme or operational status. MHPS is therefore best understood as a place-based conservation and environmental advocacy organisation rather than a conventional consumer-facing brand.

The Malvern Hills Protection Society emerged from a local environmental campaign concerning a proposed dam in Canterbury, New Zealand. The initial Dam Action Group was formed to oppose an earth dam that would have flooded part of the Waianiwaniwa River catchment. The campaign reflected a conflict between irrigation-development objectives and concerns about the protection of local waterways, landscapes, ecological values and community interests. The campaign later developed into the Malvern Hills Protection Society, which was established as an incorporated society. Incorporation gave the movement a formal identity through which it could articulate its conservation objectives and participate in public debate and relevant environmental or planning processes. The Society’s stated purpose encompasses the conservation, protection and enhancement of the historical, cultural, ecological, environmental and community values of the Malvern Hills District. The dam proposal was associated with the Central Plains Water Trust. The Trust had been established by Christchurch City Council and Selwyn District Council in connection with irrigation development for sections of the Canterbury Plains. The proposal therefore formed part of a wider regional debate over water infrastructure and agricultural irrigation. MHPS represented the local conservation perspective, emphasising potential effects on the Waianiwaniwa catchment and the character of the Malvern Hills area. Mojo Mathers is recorded as one of the Society’s founding members. Available reference material does not establish a precise formation year, provide a complete chronology of planning or consent proceedings, or identify a full list of officeholders. It also does not document the outcome of the dam proposal in sufficient detail to state whether it was approved, abandoned or otherwise altered. The Society’s public identity is consequently most clearly defined by its origins in dam opposition and its continuing stated commitment to local environmental protection.

• Dam Action Group established

  [1]Malvern Hills Protection Societyen.wikipedia.org

  A local campaign group was formed to oppose an earth dam that threatened to flood part of the Waianiwaniwa River catchment.

• Malvern Hills Protection Society incorporated

  [1]Malvern Hills Protection Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The dam-opposition campaign developed into the Malvern Hills Protection Society, an incorporated society with a broader conservation mandate for the Malvern Hills District.

Place-based environmental conservation and community advocacy focused on the protection of the Malvern Hills District and the Waianiwaniwa River catchment.

• Opposition to the proposed Waianiwaniwa catchment dam

  Canterbury, New Zealand

  The Society and its predecessor, the Dam Action Group, opposed construction of an earth dam associated with the Central Plains Water Trust. The proposed project would have flooded part of the Waianiwaniwa River catchment and raised concerns about environmental, landscape, cultural and community impacts.

  Source

• Formalise the dam-opposition movement as an incorporated societyStrategy

  Background

  The original Dam Action Group was created as a campaign against the proposed irrigation dam. The movement later adopted a formal incorporated-society structure and a broader conservation purpose.

  Action taken

  The campaign became the Malvern Hills Protection Society, focused on protecting the district’s historical, cultural, ecological, environmental and community values.

  Aftermath

  The Society became the formal vehicle for local opposition and environmental advocacy, although the available reference does not establish the final status of the dam project.

  Source

1. 1Malvern Hills Protection Societyen.wikipedia.org