Rex Graham: Project a disaster on many levels

Rex Graham

So poor old Craig Foss is confused again, at one point in his Talking Point he derogatorily stated, "I can already sense that some opponents of the dam were about to do a massive U-turn". Then several paragraphs later he extolls the same opponents to get on board and support the project. Which is it mate, should we take your advice and "get on board" and if so will you then slate us for doing a massive U-turn?

Well whatever it is, for the record Rick Barker and Peter Beaven have both publicly said that they will support the scheme if all the conditions precedent are met so in the first instance you owe them an apology.

Also for the record, as councillors we are guardians of our hard earned ratepayers' capital, our job is to critically scrutinise spending and investments and not to be cheerleaders for particular sector interest investment schemes which we think are wrong.

Craig also states that quote: "I have pretty much been the lone political voice facing the brunt of negativity from the loud minority". Oh dear how will the HBRC staunch five plus the mayor of Central HB feel about Craig taking their mantle and purporting to be the Lone Ranger for the Ruataniwha dam?

I don't want to linger on some of the other factual inaccuracies in Craig's talking point but suffice to say he clearly hasn't understood much of the process or the Ruataniwha business model.

Everyone knows that I am a strong advocate for water storage but do not support this particular configuration that is the Ruataniwha project which I believe is a disaster in the making on many levels. It has always been my view that the first water storage scheme in HB should have been to protect the capital investment and enhance the growth in Heretaunga which is the economic powerhouse of our region, encompassing some of the best apple growing soils in the world and our famous Gimlet gravel wines.

We could have done this for $30 million and given water security to existing and new investment which will far outweigh anything that we will achieve in Central HB. Weigh this against the $80 million of ratepayers' capital (plus the investors capital) to be invested in Ruataniwha for a fraction of the economic development, jobs or GDP growth that we will achieve in Heretaunga.

If it wasn't all so tragic and misdirected it would be a very bad joke.

I also have a few questions for Craig. What will you say to these Heretaunga farmers and the people of Hastings if we are forced to put water restrictions on their world-class farming enterprises as we did in 2013?

What will you say to their staff whose jobs will be at risk, their bankers, their suppliers and their customers overseas who demand reliable supply? What will say to them about protecting their world-class reputation for being able to produce quality product and meeting supply demands?

That's right, you will be silent just as you were when the Twyford growers were struggling to get anyone to listen to their plight in 2013. In fact all those other Ruataniwha political cheerleaders in HB were also silent, all except Lawrence Yule who attended their shed meetings and heard their desperate calls for assistance. The people of Heretaunga will not forget this and will not forget the people who stood beside them.

We will of course eventually get to Heretaunga with a water storage plan but not without some pain and not without borrowing capital as we have frivolously spent most of it on this folly in Ruataniwha. Sorry mate no U-turn here.

-Rex Graham is a Hawke's Bay Regional councillor.

-Business and civic leaders, organisers, experts in their field and interest groups can contribute opinions. The views expressed here are the writer's personal opinion, and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz