Good news and bad for irrigation funding

However, it is disappointed that CIIL loans will now not be extended to another three planned projects.

Funding remains available for stage two of the Central Plains Scheme, the Waimea Community Dam and the Kurow Duntroon Irrigation Scheme, but is now off the table for North Canterbury’s Hurunui Water Project, South Canterbury’s Hunter Downs and Marlborough’s Flaxbourne irrigation projects.

“In a Crown Irrigation investment briefing to incoming ministers, the socio-economic gain to communities from planned irrigation projects in NZ was over $1.2 billion per year. With a number of these projects being unable to access loan funding, this is a huge lost opportunity for these rural communities,” says IrrigationNZ chief executive Andrew Curtis.   

“The Hurunui Water Project, Hunter Downs and Flaxbourne irrigation projects all have local community support and meet strict new environmental requirements on river swimmability and nutrient limits. 

“Also they plan to do more to help improve existing water quality; for example, the Hunter Downs scheme was planning to augment river flows into the Wainono Lagoon to help restore this culturally and environmentally significant ecosystem.”

Curtis says these projects aimed to provide water security to mostly beef, sheep and cropping farms in drought-prone areas. 

“Over the past summer we have experienced droughts followed by unprecedented wet conditions. This indicates the climate change impacts we can expect to see in the future,” Curtis adds. 

“It is critical for rural east coast farming communities to have access to a reliable water supply in order to help them manage through these effects.” 

Curtis says when farming communities suffers serious droughts, it is not just farmers who suffer but also the rest of the community and local businesses.

“We would like to see the merits of these projects considered through the Provincial Growth Fund.  These projects will build more resilient rural communities.”