Apples start strong in Hawke’s Bay
Just on two years ago Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc in Hawke's Bay causing massive damage to NZ's largest apple growing region.
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.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.