Farmer denies talk of dam conspiracy

Tikokino farmer Craig Preston says short-notice requests to visit the proposed Ruataniwha Catchment Proposal dam site were unreasonable and unfair to his business. Photo / Warren Buckland

The owner of the farm that has denied access to the site of the proposed Ruataniwha Catchment Proposal dam strongly denies Labour leader David Cunliffe's inference that he is part of a conspiracy.

Mr Cunliffe had unsuccessfully applied to visit the dam site last week, as had expert witnesses for the board of inquiry's public hearing of the proposal.

"If someone visits tomorrow I have to knock off docking and drop hot wires [electric fences] - it's like Fort Knox," Mr Preston said.

"For people to infer I am somehow part of a conspiracy to block people out of this place incenses me.

"I know it looks bad because of the eighth [final inquiry submission date] but the reason I set the 10th was I would have finished docking and be through the first cycle of my calving - it would be down to one hot wire to get out there."

He said Fish and Game, Forest and Bird and David Cunliffe's office all rang in the evening, hoping to have an entourage escorted to the dam site the next morning.

"It is just totally unreasonable on me. I am an unpaid host and they have all been behaving badly.

"I couldn't have taken the hour off - we are trying to dock in the middle of the day and there is three hours' cattle work in the morning and two at night.

"That sort of attitude is not fair on me, on my business, and health and safety protocol."

He said the only payment he had received for co-operating with dam site access was $300 for resowing a damaged winter-feed crop.

If the dam goes ahead, the 9000 stock unit farm would be reduced to 8000 because of extra land compulsorily acquired under the Public Works Act, but he is pro dam for the good of the wider community.

"Sixty years ago today I was born in Waipawa.

"As a kid Waipukurau and Waipawa were prosperous.

"I'm for the dam because I want to see my community rebuild its wealth - and this is its chance."