Farmers to get the full Ruataniwha facts on 4 November

22 October 2014

Farmers to get the full Ruataniwha facts on 4 November

Federated Farmers and Irrigation NZ have joined forces to give farmers the facts they need to make decisions on Ruataniwha dam water. ‘Ruataniwha – it’s Now or Never’ is free and will take place on 4 November at Waipawa’s Municipal Theatre at 7pm.

“There is too much misinformation being spread about Ruantaniwha and the cost of dam water,” says Will Foley, Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay provincial president.

“That’s why we have joined with Irrigation New Zealand, who is bringing up both a dairy and cropping farmer involved in the North Otago Irrigation Company as real life examples.

“This modern piped scheme opened in 2006 and delivers Waitaki River water to over 10,000 hectares of productive farmland. With a water price comparable to Ruantaniwha, there is now a second stage in the pipeline if you excuse the pun.

“These guys and Irrigation NZ, will greatly help Hawke’s Bay farmers to sort out the information wheat from the chaff.

“That’s really the objective of ‘Ruataniwha – it’s Now or Never’ on 4 November at 7pm. It’s about giving confidence to Hawke’s Bay’s farming community as to the cost of water and what it will mean to farm viability using real world examples.

“This will help everyone better cost capital and operating costs and hopefully instil a sense of urgency in Hawke’s Bay to get behind Ruantaniwha. We are up against the clock now.

“Having comparable costs from the North Otago Irrigation Company will give Hawke’s Bay farmers a real chance to see what it means for their farming operations. This includes the cost of water and how it stacks up financially right through to options for water delivery.

“Ruantaniwha gives Hawke’s Bay a future preventing our towns becoming zombie towns.

“Want proof?

“A joint socio-economic study with Waitaki District Council on the North Otago scheme found, “What we are seeing as the result of the investment in irrigation is growth in employment, growth in the number of young people and families, growth in school roles and growth in income. The infrastructure enabling access to water for North Otago farmers is exactly the kind of opportunity we want to support as a Council.”

“Ruataniwha is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Hawke’s Bay. I implore farmers to be at the Waipawa Municipal Theatre on 4 November at 7pm,” Mr Foley concluded.

ENDS

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