Waimea dam land plan hits obstacle
Work to secure conservation land for the proposed Waimea dam, near Nelson, has hit a snag with DOC saying it cannot proceed as proposed.
However, the knockback was countered on Thursday by confirmation the Government will honour commitments made by the previous National government for the controversial scheme, which is earmarked for the Lee Valley.
Tasman District Council and dam proponent Waimea Irrigators Ltd are proposed joint-venture partners in the project, which is tipped to be funded by a mix of ratepayer, irrigator and Crown funding.
The council wants about 11ha of Mount Richmond Forest Park land from DOC for the scheme and it proposed acquiring the riverbed and adjoining land by a disposal from the Crown under the Public Works Act.
But DOC has poured cold water on that plan.
‘‘The department’s view is that the disposal cannot proceed as currently proposed,’’ DOC deputy director of general operations Mike Slater says in a letter to council chief executive Lindsay McKenzie.
Slater outlines the key impediments, one of which is section 24F of the Conservation Act, ‘‘which in effect means the Crown cannot dispose of the riverbed sought to the council’’, he says.
In a report on the matter, McKenzie says the council is taking advice on the DOC letter.
‘‘The outcome is disappointing but we must deal with the law as it stands and as the Department of Conservation and Land Information New Zealand are likely to interpret it,’’ he says.
In his letter, Slater says the council might like to consider an ‘‘alternative mechanism’’ to achieve its aims.
After councillors on Thursday went behind closed doors to discuss the matter, McKenzie said other options would be explored.
‘‘Given the announcement by the Government today about its commitment to the scheme ... we will take up the opportunity DOC offered to find a work around to the difficulties that the letter sets out,’’ he said.
In the Government announcement, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said three irrigation projects would be funded for their construction phases – the Waimea dam, the completion of Central Plains Water Stage 2 on the Canterbury Plains and the construction of the Kurow-Duntroon scheme at Kurow in Waitaki district.
The decisions come as the Government moves to turn off the tap of public funding for large-scale irrigation through Crown Irrigation Investments Ltd.
‘‘This represents a shift in priorities to the previous government,’’ Robertson said. ‘‘Largescale private irrigation schemes should be economically viable on their own, without requiring significant public financing.
‘‘We must also be mindful of the potential for large-scale irrigation to lead to intensive farming practices, which may contribute to adverse environmental outcomes.’’
In his report, McKenzie says there has been a series of ‘‘excellent meetings’’ with Nga¯ti Koata and Tasman Pine Forests in relation to Nga¯ti Koata land needed for the dam project.
He says the elements of an agreement are likely to include a board membership seat for Nga¯ti Koata and compensation for storing water on Nga¯ti Koata land.