Listen: Simon Bridges says Waimea dam rejection 'a crying shame'

National Party leader Simon Bridges. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Tasman District Council voted against going ahead with the controversial Waimea Dam, a decision that Simon Bridges blames on the Government as well as local council.

The National Party leader spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay saying the Government sent "mixed messages," about whether it supported the project.

"Shane [Jones] may have been all for it but we also know Labour and the Greens really weren't for it. I mean it goes to the heart of what's wrong with the Government actually ... you can't work out where they sit on these things."

Bridges believes Tasman District Council "copped out," as a result of this lack of unity from the Government, as it make the decision "too hard."

Listen below:

"It's a crying shame because actually what that area needs is that dam."

The issue not only affects farmers; industrial and urban sectors also need access to water and Bridges is concerned for the community as there seems to be no back up plan for the dam.

"The people who voted against [the dam], have been able to get away without having to front up with an alternative, but there needs to be one ... it's not just about farming ... it's basically about Kiwis and how they get water in dry times."

Also in today's interview: Simon Bridges talks his Twitter campaign against the government's 153rd working group and addresses rumours about a supposed leak in the National Party.