Environment Canterbury has finally given the green light for fed-up farmers in Mid-Canterbury to refill a dried-up local creek.
The farmers said the delays from the regional council were unnecessary.
The Government today announced it would unlock more drought support for the South Island, including Otago and Canterbury in the classification.
Standing in Greenstreet Creek near Ashburton, farmer Darryl Butterick described the scene of dead aquatic life as almost like "the Sahara Desert".
Freshwater marine life including fish, eels and even crayfish once part of a thriving ecosystem were left to perish as the waterway dried up.
"It'd be in the thousands of all species and that would be without all the little critters, so it's a total annihilation almost," he said.
Usually if the creek was looking dry local farmers supplement it using irrigation water — as they have done periodically for nearly 40 years.
Last year, a consent change by Environment Canterbury put a stop to that.
"We've basically been pleading with them to allow us to put water into this creek to save it," said Butterick.
Environment Canterbury's chief executive Stefanie Rixecker said she made the decision to release water in Greenstreet creek because officials "haven't been fair to the community".
"What I'll own is that we haven't been fair to our communities in having a conversation with them. That's why they're angry with us and they deserve to be angry with us," she said.
Farmers, locals and Fish and Game staff have been out in the creek using buckets and fishing nets, doing what they could to try and save the fish.
Brett Colgan was a local who also managed Outdoor Access, a company that runs live streams of rivers and lakes. He too was out doing what he could.
"For every one thing that we'll save, we'll probably walk past 50 dead things," he said.
After weeks of sending emails and leaving messages, they finally got a response from Environment Canterbury today.
"I'm making this decision now in recognition of working with the community, however into the future we're not going to be able to keep doing this," said Rixecker.
She also recognised the work done to try and save the creatures.
"I'd like to acknowledge the fish salvage work undertaken by Fish and Game and the local community over recent days – thank you".
Fish and Game counted more than 200 creatures that were saved.
The conditions in the region were the driest the organisation had seen in a decade.
"We're really looking at no significant rain in the forecast at the moment, and I think that we are gonna see some more streams that suffer the consequences of that," said Fish and Game's Steve McKnight.
The Government today recognised Canterbury and Otago were in a drought.
"I have made this decision to unlock additional support for farmers and growers across the Canterbury and Otago regions as the intense dry spell persists and looks unlikely to improve in the short-term," Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said in a statement.
"We have 78,000km of river, and 70% of the country's groundwater, in the face of El Niño and climate change, it is drying up," said Rixecker.
Locals just hoped some of what was once in the creek in abundance would return.
"There's enough there to start again and in time it'll flourish if it's allowed to," said Butterick.
For the dead creatures in Greenstreet creek though, it was too late.
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