Why You Should Have Your Say: Demand Transparency and Full Consultation

Wise Water Use HB is asking ratepayers to ask questions online and make your voices heard.

There are many reasons why you should engage in the Central Hawke's Bay District Council's online discussion forum and let them know why we don't want the consents for Ruataniwha Dam (rebranded as Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme) placed into a Community Trust.

Read through the reasons we are against this community trust being formed here and pick whichever ones stand out to you.

Alternatively, if you aren’t familiar with engaging via online forums (which is all the Council is offering), then phone or email your councillor NOW.

Let them know: I do not support Council’s role in promoting this ‘Community Trust’, which is a community trust in name only, and ask that they immediately remove themselves from any further involvement. However, if the Council insist on remaining involved then two weeks for feedback via online forum is not enough time, nor a fully inclusive way to gather feedback. I want to hear more details from Council, and ask that this proposal be taken to full public consultation.

Name:	Phone:	Email:
Alex Walker	027 860 7752	alex.walker@chbdc.govt.nz
Kelly Annand	027 479 4000	kelly.annand@chbdc.govt.nz
Tim Aitken	027 472 4587	tim.aitken@chbdc.govt.nz
Jerry Greer	027 488 4786	jerry.greer@chbdc.govt.nz
Gerard Minehan	027 479 3773	gerard.minehan@chbdc.govt.nz
Brett Muggeridge	021 332 353	brent.muggeridge@chbdc.govt.nz
Kate Taylor	027 603 2200	kate.taylor@chbdc.govt.nz
Exham Wichman	027 269 9920	exham.wichman@chbdc.govt.nz
Pip Burne	021 0257 4496	pip.burne@chbdc.govt.nz

Whilst it is pleasing that CHBDC has now started a discussion on their web page about this issue, this does not constitute robust consultation. Full consultation means reaching out to ratepayers with all the information, as recently occurred with the Representation Review and Streets for People. Expecting ratepayers to find their way to the Council’s online chat forum is a passive means of engagement and will lock out many ratepayers, especially elderly, who aren’t familiar with this type of forum.

Why does everything to do with the Ruataniwha Dam seem to be shrouded in secrecy and obfuscation by our local councils? A Trust which is supposed to be 'community-led' and 'act honestly and in good faith' should start off by taking the proposal to full public consultation.