Water storage scheme D-Day reached

Ruataniwha Dam, Makaroro Gorge

Yesterday was D-Day for farmers to sign up to the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme and still no word as to whether this particular condition precedent has been met.

Labour water spokeswoman Meka Whaitiri said she would be surprised, but not disappointed, if the deadline was pushed out again.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company (HBRIC) set yesterday morning as the deadline for the project finances to be lined up, she said.

"To meet the water-contract threshold, farmers needed to sign up for 45 million cubic metres. A few days ago HBRIC said only about 25 million cubic metres of water, or just over 55 per cent of the target, had been sold.

"We are over five years into this project, council has already spent about $15 million of ratepayers' money on the development, and yet HBRIC is still scrambling at the last minute to find the necessary water uptake to satisfy its conditions.

"At some point it has to be said that enough is enough."

A Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC) spokeswoman said the board was meeting yesterday but not making any comment until it had reported back to the council.

"Council will wait to hear from HBRIC at its November 25 meeting before commenting."

Council chairman Fenton Wilson said November 11 was always the target date for farmers to crystalise their thinking for signing up for water from Ruataniwha scheme.

Mr Wilson said it was rather ironic that "political parties [are] stirring it up today" especially as the process was out of HBRIC's control with the judicial review concerning the Smedley land swap with the Department of Conservation (DoC) under way.

When pushed on transparency and accountability of the process, Mr Wilson said "that is bulls***".

Mr Wilson disagreed that there was a lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the process, despite the fact that HBRIC was, for the most part, unwilling to talk about the scheme between HBRC meetings and even then the public is often shut out.

Tukituki MP Craig Foss said there were many moving parts to the Ruataniwha scheme and that the merits of the scheme are still a given.

"Some elements, such as legal challenges, are beyond the council's control," he said.

"Those criticising the scheme and the organisations involved for not meeting deadlines are conveniently ignoring that fact. All parties must follow due process, which inevitably takes more time."

Councillor Rick Barker said he believes everybody is just frustrated with the scheme "by it actually carrying on with more series and sequences than Coronation Street".

"It has been a long and torturous process there is no doubt about that," he said.

Fellow councillor Peter Beaven said the question was really how long is it going to take them to get enough farmers signed up so HBRIC could green-light the project.

"When you consider that the two years that I have been on the council we have already had that deadline changed six times.

"And now we don't have a deadline I don't think, certainly not one I am aware of."