The Green Party has hailed Environment Canterbury's decision to deny water to a new multimillion-dollar dairying venture.
After spending nearly $18 million buying and developing Mid-Canterbury farmland, the Lynton and Pine Grove Dairy companies have had their resource consent application to take up to 560 litres of water a second from
an aquifer turned down by ECan.
They want the water to irrigate the land for dairying.
Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said the companies wanted to take the equivalent of a small river from the aquifer.
"Let's be clear about this - a herd of 3000 cows being intensively farmed in a water-short area is not, in any way, shape or form, sustainable land use," she said.
"A consistent approach nationwide would hopefully disabuse all types of developers of the delusion that they can take as much water as they want. Water is a finite resource."
