Hawke's Bay water use focus of public forum

Water could elevate Hawke's Bay's rural sector to greater economic heights but will the environmental impacts of more intense H2O use on the land outweigh any benefits to the region?

That's one of the key questions likely to be asked at a public forum on protecting Hawke's Bay rivers, featuring six panelists, to be held in Hastings tomorrow night.

The forum aims to give an update on what is being done to protect and create a sustainable future for rivers and will allow people to quiz the expert panelists.

Among them is Hawke's Bay farmer Hugh Ritchie, who is an Irrigation New Zealand board member and Federated Farmers' water spokesman.

He said instead of pointing the finger at farming industries there should be a focus on looking at the best management systems for them to operate.

"The messages we are trying to push through is that irrigation can be beneficial.

"There are some issues around intensification and we need to look at best practice.

"Speaking personally, we have to get ahead of the game to give [farm] managers the opportunity to look at what their systems do and find the best management model for them to use."

Mr Ritchie said urban discharge in waterways could also contribute towards the poor quality of the region's waterways, especially during the winter when farmers were not irrigating.

Mr Ritchie, who farms in Otane, Central Hawke's Bay, said being able to use managed irrigation systems correctly would allow further opportunities such as the one struck up with McCains.

"We have had McCains investing in production here, on the back of having a reasonably good supply line and one would say that came around by having water available to grow the crops."

The forum comes as the Hawke's Bay Regional Council heads a plan to increase the irrigation capacity of the Ruataniwha Plains in Central Hawke's Bay, via construction of "water storage areas" or dams, giving farm operations better access to water.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman will be among the panelists to speak, as well as Baybuzz editor Tom Belford, Mauri Protection Agency spokesman Morry Black and Hawke's Bay Regional Council's environmental science manager Graham Sevicke-Jones.

The free forum will be held at Lindisfarne College in Hastings tomorrow at 7pm and will be chaired by Hawke's Bay Today editor Antony Phillips.