The Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme will bring environmental and economic benefits to the whole region, says a group that has been formed to support the project. Photo/file
The Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme will bring environmental and economic benefits to the whole region, says a group that has been formed to support the project. Photo/file
A group that's been formed in Central Hawke's Bay to promote the wider benefits of water storage for the whole region is gaining traction with a newly created website and fast-growing membership.
Called Water Benefits All, the group was the brainchild of about 15 Central Hawke's Bay farmers and servicebusinesspeople, who were frustrated at the polarising arguments about the proposed Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme (RWSS), said group chairman Ian Walker.
A long-time Central Hawke's Bay resident, who was managing director of Vet Service Hawke's Bay for many years, Mr Walker said the group's founding members decided there needed to be a way to get balance in the emotive rhetoric about water storage in the region.
"We were getting frustrated at the divisive arguments and lack of balance in the media and general conversations.
"There has been selective and mischievous use of information about the dam, which has been used as an argument against it and which people have been taking at face value."
Rather than being labelled a pro-dam lobby group, however, he said the group intended to identify the community-wide issues around water to get the project over the line.
"We ascribe to values of environmental improvement, and the potential for economic and community growth with the sort of water storage programmes being designed throughout the region."
He said the first steps had been to have conversations with individuals about the importance and advantages of water storage.
"If the RWSS does not eventuate Plan Change 6 is set in concrete which would mean quite serious negative implications in terms of environmental opportunities and economic output for people in the Tukituki catchment, which goes down to the sea.
"You only have to see what happened in the last few months before the rain came - people started to realise everybody benefited from water."
About two weeks ago, a website was launched describing the group's aim and soliciting membership and donations that would fund the outside expertise being used to further the group's aims.
The response had so far exceeded expectations, with about 600 people accessing the database, Mr Walker said.
The other committee members listed on the website were CHB farmer Jerry Greer, who runs a beef finishing operation at Argyll, Ongaonga dairy farmer Kevin Davidson, and Waipukurau Mills Honda manager Dennis Mills.
The website can be found at www.waterbenefitsall.org
