Public meeting as dam debate heats up

Transparent Hawke's Bay spokesman and Green Party activist Chris Perley

An economist who says the Ruataniwha dam is not viable and a lawyer for one of the groups that mounted a legal challenge against the project will square off against the irrigation scheme's promoters at a public meeting next week.

Hawke's Bay Today is organising the August 6 meeting - to be held in Napier - in a bid to allow readers and members of the public to make up their own minds about the $275 million irrigation scheme proposed for Central Hawke's Bay.

Editor Andrew Austin said it was important that Hawke's Bay Today facilitated the meeting so that the public could make their minds up.

"Our role is to inform the community and we believe that holding meetings like this is an important part of that."

The meeting will include a presentation from Andrew Newman, chief executive of Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company (HBRIC), the investment arm of Hawke's Bay Regional Council which is promoting the project.

His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Wellington economist Peter Fraser and Fish & Game environmental manager Corina Jordan, who was instrumental in the organisation's challenge to the scheme through the High Court and a board of inquiry process.

The pair have been invited to participate by lobby group Transparent Hawke's Bay, which has opposed plans by the council to invest up to $80 million of ratepayer money in the scheme.

A third Transparent Hawke's Bay panelist will be farm adviser Barrie Ridler.

Mr Newman said HBRIC directors, staff and senior consultants used by the company would be at the meeting to answer questions and contribute to the panel discussion.

The Ruataniwha scheme will be discussed at a regional council meeting tomorrow where councillors will be asked to accept an HBRIC recommendation that it has achieved one of the conditions necessary for the project to proceed - the granting of satisfactory resource consent conditions through the board of inquiry process.

A final decision on whether the project goes ahead is expected to be made by the council in November.

Transparent Hawke's Bay spokesman and Green Party activist Chris Perley said next week's public meeting was important because a number of issues remained unclear in regards to the scheme, including the date for making a final decision.

"It's ratepayers' money and we think it should be very clear what sort of off-ramps there are - a decision point which says it's not going to go ahead," he said.

-Next Thursday's meeting is at Tamatea Intermediate School, starting at 6.30pm. Questions will not be taken from the floor on the night but readers are invited to email questions to editor@hbtoday.co.nz. People attending will be asked to make a gold-coin donation which will go to the Limitless Hope Emergency Shelter Appeal.