Editorial: Having a rural voice
OPINION: The past few weeks have been tough on farms across the North Island: floods and storms have caused damage and disruption to families and businesses.
The Tukituki Catchment Proposal Board of Inquiry decision will allow both the environment and economy to prosper, says Ian Mackenzie, Federated Farmers water and environment spokesperson.
“We are pleased the process is finally over and are 100% behind the Ruataniwha Dam project going ahead for the reasons that water storage is good for the environment and the economy.”
Hawkes Bay farmer and Federated Farmers Hawkes Bay provincial president, Will Foley says, “Farmers who had signed up for the scheme remain committed to it. They believe very much that this is a workable consent.”
“The High Court judge instructed the board - that whatever changes they made couldn't frustrate the consents of the dam project, so farmers are very keen to still go ahead."
Mackenzie says that the Federated Farmers recently announced Water Team is about empowering the regions’ farmers to secure a profitable and sustainable future.
“Water storage like the Ruataniwha Dam gives the next generation hope for the future in dealing with drought, giving them a level of security to invest in their business and the environment.”
“The Treasury Secretary, Gabriel Makhlouf, pointed this out in his speech at a Westpac breakfast at the Mystery Creek Fieldays. He said it’s nonsense to believe there is a supposed ‘choice’ between sustainability and prosperity. We don’t have to pick one or the other. And that you just have to look at the way productivity and sustainability are converging in ways not seen before, especially when it comes to water.”
Mackenzie says irrigation infrastructure is helping to alleviate further pressure on struggling river and stream ecosystems, such as the Opuha Dam, and the Eiffelton Irrigation Scheme.
“Eventually the Ruataniwha Dam will be able to do the same, relieving climatic and allocation pressures on groundwater and the river system,” he says.
“The Ruataniwha Dam gives Hawkes Bay farmers choices we never had before and will put us back on the map in an economical and sustainable way,” adds Foley.
