Waikato River Authority adds to opposition of Watercare's plan to take from river

Waikato River flows to the Huka Falls, Taupō. Photo / 123RF

The Waikato River Authority is adding its voice to opposition of Watercare's plan to take more water from the Waikato River for Auckland's supply.

Watercare Services Ltd has applied for resource consent to extract a further 150 million litres of water a day from the river. The application will be considered by a special Board of Inquiry.

The authority, which describes itself as "responsible for restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River", opposed the application as it did not "adequately consider the restoration and protection of the Waikato River as determined by Te Ture Whaimana (vision and strategy)".

"It is sad to realise in the last 80 years the Waikato River has significantly degraded," the authority's co-chair Paula Southgate said.

She outlined her concern for future water security for nearby communities, something she believed had not been adequately addressed by Watercare.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate. Photo / File

It comes after Southgate, also Hamilton mayor, told city councillors at a council meeting last week that they must put their city first, which preceded a council decision to oppose the application.

"Auckland, like every other centre in New Zealand, must consider the future sustainability of its water supply," she said last week.

"Water is gold and the Waikato River can't be all things to all people."

Authority Waikato-Tainui iwi co-chair Tipa Mahuta echoed Southgate's sentiment.

"If you are thinking about the river as a resource, you also need to be thinking about
how you will be making the river better," she said.

"What the authority is asking is how is the Waikato River going to be better by Auckland taking up to 300 million litres per day?"

Hamilton already takes water from the river to look after its 180,000 residents. The city's current consent for water ends in 2044.

Submissions to the hearing close today.