A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Re: Aquifer recharge vs surface water storage, November 10 comments.
And what of the fact that the aquifers in Turanganui a Kiwa, all known by Maori and which form part of the indigenous estate under the UN Declaration of Indigeneous Rights signed by the NZ government, have been sucked dry
by the European horticulturalists?
The indigenous Maori had extensive horticultural works in Turanganui and managed the water supply efficiently. It was the overuse of the couldn't-care-a – less European farmers who not only drained the rivers but also the aquifers that has led to the situation where water is scarce and the aquifers are depleting.
And now all water resources in Turanganui and Te Tairawhiti are under the control of the GDC which has contracted this responsibility out to a private company. It should have left control in Maori hands.
Joe Naden
