Split views in CHB dam meeting

MEETING PLACE: Central Hawke's Bay's Municipal Theatre played host to a dam forum tonight. PHOTO FILE

About 200 people showed up to the second in a series of Ruataniwha Dam meetings held in Waipawa this evening.

Staged by regional councillors Tom Belford, Peter Beaven, Rex Graham and Rick Barker, Central Hawke's Bay residents filled the district's Municipal Theatre to have their say on the status of potentially the region's biggest water storage project.

In addition the four councillors, regional Council chairman Fenton Wilson and CHB regional councillor Debbie Hewitt were in attendance, as was the Hawke's Bay Regional Company chairman Andy Pearce, local CHB councillors and even Hastings District councillor Henare O'Keefe.

A sign placed at the front door of the theatre - read in big, bold green letters out "Don't damn our dam" - set the mood for the evening.

The meeting started with the councillors taking to the lectern to present to the audience what they saw the issues with the project were.

The crowd gave the speakers the floor and listened to what they had to say before they lived up to the sign out the front.

Those on both sides were equally vocal - in support and against the water scheme progressing.