Ruataniwha saga 'not common sense'

With spring delivering below average rainfall on Hawke's Bay's Ruataniwha and Heretaunga plains, New Zealand First is gobsmacked at the roadblocks being erected before the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme.

'New Zealand used to be a country of can-do, but what the Ruataniwha saga increasingly tells us is that we're now the land of can't-do,” says Richard Prosser, New Zealand First's Primary Industries Spokesperson.

'With parts of Hawke's Bay receiving 60 to 50 per cent less rainfall over the past two months, the need for Ruataniwha is self-evident.

'Central Hawke's Bay has the fertile land, it has the sunshine hours but often lacks the water over summer. This turns what ought to be a consistently awesome farming area into a seasonal lottery.

'While the business case for Ruataniwha is about Hawke's Bay farming to its full potential, Ruataniwha will also help the Tukituki River by increasing its minimum flows over summer.

'Yet the National government is hardly being the farmer's friend. It's quite the opposite because its rhetoric on water hasn't been backed by investment into either Overseer or filling the many gaps that exist in water science.

'Take Overseer, which farmers will have to use to calculate nutrient losses like nitrogen. It has been funded by government on the smell of an oily rag, I am talking just over $500,000 a year. That's pathetic given many regional councils are basing planning rules on Overseer.

'New Zealand First backs the storage of rain water and we back investment into the science of water and the speedy calibration of Overseer.

'Unless Hawke's Bay gets this dam it will miss out on what's needed to kick start economic growth and jobs.

'We know the secret to regional economic development is just add transport, just add water and that'll add back the people. This is what other schemes have delivered and it is just what Hawke's Bay needs,” says Mr Prosser.

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1 comment

Wisechief

Posted on 18-12-2014 12:00 | By Wise Chief

Due to the low lying nature of the terrain where the river passes through and increased erosion risks going forward from what WILL be very very heavy rains deluges coming it would be more practical and much safer in the event of and sudden major flood or quake sometime in the future to immediately start building a number of smaller dams in the numerous side valleys which connect to the main river. In this way one can avoid what could be major damage when unusual disasters DO strike as a result of now fast accelerating climate change. The Ostrich with head in sand arse up in air attitude won't work here. Thus better to apply practical wisdom rather than keen gusto and bluff just to get a point across and rush the project and then suffer what are very predictable possibly nasty outcomes if project done wrong at outset.


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