Where Council has been required to conduct public consultation, this was also found wanting. A case in point is the decision to outlay a further $40 million to buy water from their own scheme for additional 'environmental flows' to our rivers, having firstly depleted them through over-allocation and then loading them with pollutants from intensive farming. Only after the auditor general was notified did they concede that this decision required public consultation. After approx. 97% of received submissions opposed this folly, they still refuse to heed public opinion and shelve the proposal. One wonders what forces are being brought to bear?
A further governance failure, and a prime example substantiating claims that the decision to build the dam had been pre-ordained some time ago, come hell or high water, is the DOC land swap. Any project developer worth their salt would've secured the land required to build their project before investing $20 million in feasibility and promotion work. Instead, Council and ratepayers now face the consequences of this ineptitude as the F&B court appeal unfolds, with further appeal likely.
Where should HBRC be concentrating its resources for the wider region's benefit, instead of the flawed Ruataniwha dam? On-farm water storage would add real value to farms and help drought-proof them, in conjunction with drought-tolerant fodder crops. The Council could offer financial and other assistance in meeting compliance and consent costs by reducing red tape. They could also help with the provision of fill for dams from riverbeds, whose rising levels threaten to eventually subject CHB to floods. This would also remove the need to eventually raise stop-banks.
Another issue where Council has taken its eye off the ball is their responsibility to protect, enhance and restore our threatened environment and biodiversity. In CHB Lake Whatumā, which is suffering the effects of low water levels, is just one case in point.
Climate change is another issue which will eventually have an enormous effect on much of the region, and the coastal communities in particular. HBRC should be taking the lead by committing resources towards mitigating its inevitable effects, and by investing in climate-friendly technology such as electric vehicles. Water saving schemes like residential water tank storage would have a beneficial effect for the region's economy, especially if local businesses are engaged.
We therefore have a clear choice this election - either for those who promote so-called 'progress' through promotion of intensive farming and environmental pollution, or for those who take seriously Council's core responsibility under the Resource Management Act to protect and enhance our environment and water sources, for the whole region's benefit, both now and for future generations.
■Dan Elderkamp is a candidate for the Central Hawke's Bay seat on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in the local government elections
