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Wise Water Use are elated to report that Centralines’ Statement of Corporate Intent (2022-2023), available here, has been released, and that reference to investing in water security projects has been removed!
Our collective community voice has made a difference!
Trevor Le Lievre (Wise Water Use spokesperson) presented the petition to the trustees of the Central Hawkes Bay Consumers’ Power Trust on 17th March, having gathered a respectable 117 signatures in just over 2 weeks
The petition opposed Centralines’ gifting of $200,000 power consumers’ money to the Tututuki Water Security Project (TWSP) group, who are trying to resurrect the failed Ruataniwha dam, and urged the Trust – who appoint the Board – to remove reference to investment in water security from the Statement of Corporate Intent.
Thanks to those trustees and Centralines’ Board members who listened and took our message seriously.
In other Centrelines updates:
Ian Walker, current Centralines' Board Member and Chair, is stepping down. The Trust has recently appointed a new board member.
The CHBCPT are holding their AGM on Thursday 28th July at 3:00 pm, at their new depot in Coughlan Road, Waipukurau, and the public are welcome to attend. This is a great opportunity to ask trustees any burning questions you might have, such as “what dividends will the Trust be paying CHB power consumers this year?”.
Back to the petition. The 17th March presentation was also an opportunity to promote the Wise Water Use message:
“We don’t have a water shortage problem in CHB, we have an issue with the way our water resource is being allocated and used. Let’s look at our current water use before investing more public money in expensive engineering projects”.
Trevor reports that he received a courteous reception; however, that some of the trustees were more receptive to this message than others.
It’s important to keep spreading the Wise Water Use message, and to get locals questioning the fairness of 10 local water users – mostly corporate-owned intensive dairy farms – taking 60% of our allocated groundwater. One dairy farm is allocated more water than the entire township of Waipukurau! For free.
Meanwhile, the TWSP group and their backers want this water bonanza to continue. They intend to apply for an extension to the consents needed to build the Ruataniwha dam, which are due to expire in 2025, so that current unsustainable farming practices on the Ruatahiwha plains can continue uninterrupted.
Wise Water Use will be opposing any attempt to extend the Ruatanihwa consents.
To help raise our public profile and carry our message we are seeking advocates. You can sign up as an advocate by completing the submission form here. You can check out our current advocates here.
Together, we can shape the narrative about options for Wise Water Use of our precious and limited water resource.
“Te Mana o te Wai, before security of supply!”
The Wise Water Use team and current advocates thank those in the local and wider community for their ongoing support.
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