Wise Water Use HB spokesperson, Dr Trevor Le Lievre has been allowed a speaking slot at a Council meeting to decide whether to progress a ‘Community Trust’ to hold the consents and IP for the Ruataniwha dam.

Dr Le Lievre had been denied a speaking slot at the previous meeting where this issue was discussed, held on 17th October. It is anticipated that a large contingent of supporters will attend the meeting on the 31st.

“We were staggered to be denied a speaking right at the last meeting given the financial and environmental stakes for our community, especially considering this is being sold as a ‘community trust’.” said Dr Le Lievre, adding: “Many are already calling this the ‘community dis-trust’.”

Council will meet this Thursday 31st October ay 1:00 pm at Council Chambers, 28/32 Ruataniwha Street, Waipawa.

The previous Council meeting had a recommendation in the agenda to ‘endorse’ a Trust Deed; however, councillors took a step back when over 50 Wise Water Use HB supporters attended the meeting demanding more transparency, and instead resolved to seek community feedback, and to bring more information back to the table, this in response to several questions posed by councillors, many of whom were clearly not across the issue.

Following the meeting Council opened up their online chat forum ‘Let’s Talk CHB’ for discussion on the trust.

“While the ‘Let’s Talk CHB’ forum is a step in the right direction, it is only open for 11 days, and is a passive means of reaching out to the community – it falls well short of the full public consultation we are calling for. Interestingly, of the many comments that have been posed on this forum you will be hard-pressed to find any supporting this Trust proposal.

“We have been absolutely swamped with enquiries from our local community and across wider-Hawkes Bay (the trust is to be called the ‘Hawkes Bay Community Water Trust’) following our presence at the last meeting, and have put up a web page offering information not being provided by Council, which has been heavily accessed.

“Wise Water Use volunteers also gave up part of their long weekend to distribute over 2,000 flyers across Central Hawkes Bay which has generated huge feedback, and we anticipate a large turnout for the meeting on the 31st.

“We have also been engaging with mana whenua, many of whom do not support the trust or the Ruataniwha dam, and who we are informed will also avail themselves of the opportunity to speak at the meeting,” said Le Lievre.

Wise Water Use refutes Council’s allegation that Central Hawkes Bay has a water crisis.

“We don’t have a water crisis in Central Hawkes Bay; this has been manufactured by Council to generate community buy-in for the trust to progress Ruataniwha dam,” said Dr Le Lievre, adding: “Council has selectively cited figures from a 2023 Regional Council Report which posit a potential water shortage, but omit to mention a scenario from the same report whereby a water surplus could be achieved with Wise Water Use!.”

Dr Le Lievre will be asking the Council to remove themselves from any further involvement in the trust, which Wise Water Use HB considers is simply a Trojan Horse to advance the Ruatanihwa dam, and will instead implore Council to take a lead role in promoting local water resilience by lobbying the Regional Council to claw back excessive water consents, and to investigate land use change and natural water retention models such is increasing wetlands.

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