Gren Christie does some myth-busting about 'community' trust

Gren Christie, Lead Advocate for Wise Water Use

According to Mike Peterson, head salesperson for Ruataniwha dam v.2, placing the consents and IP for the Ruataniwha dam into a so-called ‘community’ trust ticks all the boxes: in Mike's World the trust will ensure that the dam “remains a community-led project that considers all environmental, cultural, social and economic factors”.  Gren Christie, Lead Advocate for Wise Water Use, thinks differently in his letter of response, below:

Letter to Editor, printed in Farmers Weekly 18 November 2024 edition (full typed transcript underneath)

Mike's World

In the farming world Mike Petersen has the ear of many, from high to low.  So it’s easy for him to promote his projects as the best thing ever.  Some things do need to be challenged to get a true perspective.

The Hawkes Bay Regional Council Regional Water Assessment Report Mike Petersen draws attention to has more than the one scenario for future water demand.  One scenario shows the potential for a surplus of 16 Mm3 of water by 2040 (p.56).

This same report points out the Central HB has the highest water take per capita in Hawkes Bay for the lowest return (p. 42).  Basically, it’s saying we are squandering water in CHB.

I’m sure most thinking people would agree that we should do something about that before building a Dam with all it’s environmental and financial risks.  Mr Petersen is essentially arguing that we need to buy an expensive water tank when the biggest problem is a broken tap.

It is disingenuous to make the case there will be no more cost to ratepayers for the Ruataniwha dam.  The roads and bridges to the Dam site would need major upgrading and maintenance, there’s the replenishing of shingle to the coast, and the charge to ratepayers to get our own water back to maintain minimum river flows.  First, they will imprison our water behind a concrete wall and then charge us for it’s release.

It’s bit of a double whammy when one considers the main driver of low river flows is over-extraction from intensive farming,the very thing the Dam will expand.

That expansion of mass irrigation will lead to more nitrate pollution in our rivers which are already vastly over the levels set by the Board of Inquiry in 2014.  A poisoned river system will be the highest price we will all pay.

Climate change is a real and serious issue emphasised by the dam promoters but I am yet to hear any loud denouncements about the 49% of NZ’s green house gases that come from behind the farm gate so I’m guessing more of a PR ruse than genuine concern.

As for Lake Whatuma, it is very degraded simply because it was lowered  by a stoke of a government pen.  To reverse the situation we don’t need a billion dollar-plus Dam.  All we need is a $2 pen in the right hands.