Lack of dam business case 'unacceptable'

A before and after image of what the Ruataniwha dam would look like.

There is no updated business case for the Ruataniwha dam, despite Deloitte presenting a peer review of it at today's Hawke's Bay Regional Council meeting.

The lack of a report was revealed in a series of emails in which councillors requested a copy of the updated plan so they could discuss it in chambers.

Recommendations contained within a council agenda released in 2014 show a final review from Deloitte will be required when the final RWSS business plan had been finalised by HBRIC.

Councillor Tom Belford said such a report was promised almost two years ago.

He said it was not acceptable that Deloitte were able to peek "behind the curtains" but councillors were not.

"Not acceptable to me, nor to the constituents who expect me to be fully informed and persistent in my questioning of this project."

He asked the council's chief executive Liz Lambert when councillors would get to view the updated business case.

She said councillors had already received the business case for the dam in 2014.

"The focus of this peer review by Deloitte is on changes made to the business case since the previous review," she said.

When pressed for an updated report by the councillors, Ms Lambert said one did not exist.

"HBRIC Ltd have not produced an updated business case as a document - they are focusing on the CPs [conditions precedent]," Ms Lambert said.

She said Deloitte was working on information provided to them by HBRIC.

Mr Belford said he found it "outrageous" that after $20 million worth of development HBRIC could not, or would not, produce a written business case that councillors and interested members of the public could examine and evaluate to their own satisfaction.

He said the 2014 version was so out of touch with current realities as to represent a fantasy, and provided no basis for an assessment of the project.

Ms Lambert said the council acknowledged that there would likely be some amendments to the business case along the way.