Ruataniwha: Free Assistance Offered to the Fed’s Will Foley

The Ruataniwha Scheme: Free Assistance Offered to the Fed’s Will Foley

Friday 7 November 2014

Press Release: Rōpere Consulting

For Immediate Release

Peter Fraser, Principal, Rōpere Consulting, is extending an offer of assistance to Will Foley, Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay Provincial President, who released a somewhat cryptic media statement yesterday afternoon.

“We seem to have a lot of people who don’t live or farm in Hawke’s Bay, telling us what to do. One critic I understand shared the ride up from Wellington with Fish & Game’s Bryce Johnson, is now citing numbers I just don’t recognise” Mr Foley is quoted as saying.

“Wow! You got me” Mr Fraser admitted sheepishly. “Indeed, I can confirm that it was me who shared a ride with Mr Johnson, which is hardly surprising given I live in Lower Hutt and he lives in Upper Hutt and we were both going to the same place”.

Mr Fraser noted that he had originally offered Mr Johnson a lift but given Mr Johnson’s Jeep Cherokee was considerably more salubrious than Mr Fraser 1996 Ford Laser it was the Jeep that won the day.

Mr Fraser also confirmed that he had not been commissioned or paid by Mr Johnson’s organisation – or any other third party for that matter – for any of the work done regarding the Ruataniwha Scheme.

“Hopefully this will assure any conspiracy theorists out there” Mr Fraser said “but in the meantime I’m stuck with that Laser”.

Mr Fraser, however, commended Federated Farmers on their vigilance. “It’s good to see Federated Farmers being ahead of the game on important public policy issues, such as beating both the GCSB and SIS to the mark regarding the implementation of mass surveillance. I suspect Mr Foley will also know that we stopped at the Dannevirke KFC along the way. For the record, I grabbed a quarter pack; and from memory, Mr Johnson had a burger tower – and given it didn’t seem to last very long I suspect he enjoyed it.”

Mr Fraser further noted that it seemed impossible for Mr Foley to mention him by name, only referring him as ‘one critic’.

“It does make me wonder if Mr Foley is actually a closet Harry Potter fan, so has confused me with a certain character that cannot be named. This seems strange as other Federated Farmer’s leaders like Frank Brenmuhl, Lachlan McKenzie, Willy Leferink, and Andrew Hoggard never seemed to suffer from a similar affliction”.

Mr Fraser also wishes to extend Mr Foley some assistance regarding some numbers Mr Fraser quoted that Mr Foley apparently does not recognise.

“I find this astonishing” Mr Fraser gasped.

Mr Fraser further explained “the key numbers I quoted, such as the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme being a $600 million project that has a negative $27 million net present value, are actually from the Hawkes Bay Regional Council website and can be found in the updated economic valuation commissioned by the Hawkes Bay Regional Council”. “The fact that farming leader who lives in the Bay and is recommending that other farmers sign up for a dam that is clearly a dud but is apparently unfamiliar with the economic evaluation commissioned by the dam’s promoters that show it’s a dud completely defies belief.” “However, I’m happy to email Mr Foley my copy of the paper, or alternatively, maybe he could ask Mr Newman at HBRIC if he could borrow his one, as I’m sure he’ll have a copy handy”.

Mr Fraser also noted that he had personally sent Federated Farmers, Irrigation New Zealand and the Hawkes Bay Regional Investment Company a copy of his analysis a number of weeks ago. If the vague references to ‘theoretical models’ are anything to go by, it seems unlikely that significant analytical flaws have been identified.

“I suspect I would have heard by now” Mr Fraser remarked.

Mr Foley’s also remarked “I’ve got a feeling that momentum is back with the scheme”.

“The Lord loves a trier and angels love an optimist” Mr Fraser said “but given a negative $27 million dollar regional benefit I suspect the TAB’s thinking is elsewhere”.

See: Butchers Partners Ltd, March 14 - An updated summary of values tables, (incl. present values, regional economic impacts & cost ratios)

ENDS

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