Water exports inject $38m, create 80 jobs

Hawke's Bay's economy is receiving a $38 million injection and 80 new jobs as two drinking-water companies prepare to trade this year.

New Zealand New Water expects to create 60 jobs at its Hastings Food Hub plant and One Pure International 20 at its seaside Awatoto bottling plant.

Both companies are backed by Chinese investors. New Water's Auckland-based director/investor is a former baby formula supplier.

One Pure's director/investor has restaurant-industry experience and is New Zealand educated.

At Hastings, water will be bagged for export to a network of branded water dispensers.

A bore assessment, needed for an application to increase its take to 900,000cu m per year, showed no effect on neighbouring bores. In its first year, it will produce about 250,000cu m of bagged water to be exported to China.

At Awatoto, some water will be bagged but primarily it will be bottled in plastic or glass, both still and sparkling.

It has consent to take 405,000cu m a year from an existing bore on the property but plans to take "a small fraction" of its consented maximum.

General manager Paul O'Brien said the aquifer's alkaline water was attractive to people worried about acidic Western food.