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The equivalent of more than 500,000 New Zealand homes benefit from the electricity generated by Mercury’s nine Waikato River hydro stations, known collectively as the Waikato Hydro System. Across our hydro operations, Mercury harnesses the raw power of water for the generation of electricity before it is returned to the river, available to the environment and other uses. We think that’s wonderful. So we’re committed to understanding, managing and minimising any impacts our operations have on water, along with looking at the ways we can continue to innovate and improve the efficiencies of capturing the raw energy from the flow of water. Our strong and consistent record of doing the right thing (some would call it ‘operational compliance’ - but it’s that and more) is supported by a range of environmental management activities. These include: // Studying water presence and flow (hydrological analysis). // Understanding the ground that water travels over and through (geomorphological studies). // Observing impacts (ecological monitoring).
Mercury has a deep respect for the close links that iwi have with water, including the tupuna awa relationship held by many Waikato River iwi. We acknowledge and respect Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato (the vision and strategy for the Waikato River). We work closely with iwi, hapu and marae identifying how we can best manage freshwater. In the spirit of partnership, we look for mutual mana-enhancing opportunities with the people and organisations that make up the river iwi. Mercury supports a range of programmes, including social enterprises, educational initiatives, environmental and ecological restoration projects along with a number of Māori cultural initiatives.
Through our long-standing partnership with the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust (WCEET), we’re helping to protect and enhance the ecology and biodiversity of Lake Taupo and the Waikato River. Over the past 13 years, WCEET in partnership with Mercury, has worked on hundreds of projects to the value of $5.5m. Learn more about the WCEET.
$5.5m WORTH OF FUNDING PROVIDED
180+ WCEET PROJECTS SUPPORTED
12+ YEARS WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH WCEET