Wednesday, 22 January 2020 09:41

Hawkes Bay launches aerial water mapping

Written by  Staff Reporters
Watching the helicopter carrying SkyTEM take off yesterday at the launch. Watching the helicopter carrying SkyTEM take off yesterday at the launch.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has launched a 3D water mapping project to better understand the region’s freshwater supply.

As part of the project, a helicopter towing airborne electromagnetic survey technology called SkyTEM is flying over the region’s aquifers for the next six weeks.

The technology is able to scan the aquifers down to 300 metres, further than what has been seen before.

The data provided by the survey will enable HBRC to build a 3D digital picture of the aquifers horizontally and to great depths, enabling a better understanding of groundwater resources.

IrrigationNZ has congratulated the HBRC and its partners on the launch: chief executive Elizabeth Soal says the project is a breakthrough. 

“We urgently need more facts about what water we have and where,” says Soal.

IrrigationNZ chief executive Elizabeth Soal has praised the project.

“This can inform a sensible water strategy to guide sustainable water management in New Zealand.

“We’re often seeing headlines about shortages in our dry regions which rely on water for their communities, their recreation, and their livelihoods. 

“If this initiative by Hawkes Bay Regional Council is successful, we can repeat this elsewhere to get a nationwide water map to understand more about this critical resource. And then we can act on what we know.”

The project is a collaboration between the HBRC, the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) and GNS Science, using Danish SkyTEM technology that has been used extensively overseas.

The total cost for the project is $4.3 million. The PGF is contributing $2.15 million, the HBRC $1.85 million, and GNS Science $300,000.

More like this

Haere Ra 2024: Te Matau-a-Māui, Hawke's Bay

Kate Radburnd has seen plenty of challenges in the Hawke's Bay wine industry during her 41-year wine career, including the destruction wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle in vintage 2023, and the resilience and recovery of the region in its wake.

Scanning data at your fingertips

A partnership between two technology companies in Hawke's Bay is making orchard data more easily accessible to growers using new interactive online heat maps.

Featured

$2b boost in NZ exports to EU

New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.

US tariffs hit European ag machinery markets

The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.

Tributes paid to Jim Bolger

Dignitaries from  all walks of life – the governor general,  politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and  friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Red faced

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…

Cold comfort

One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter