Allegations council on water consents go-slow
Fear delays could risk developments promising jobs for the Far North
Acompany investing tens of millions of dollars in avocado orchards in the Far North says jobs are being lost and investment put at risk because the Northland Regional Council is ‘dragging its heels’ on water use consents.
That is denied by the council, which says historic aquifer level errors and the Covid-19 crisis caused the delays, and that consent hearings will start late next month.
Groundwater use has become an issue in the Houhora area, where 24 landowners have applied to take up to 6.4 million cubic metres a year from the Aupo¯uri aquifer.
A total of 113 submissions have been received with the majority opposed to increased water take.
The applications are from avocado growers who say the amount applied for is a fraction of the water entering the aquifer each year, and that converting pasture into orchards means many more jobs in the cashstrapped Far North.
One of the biggest investors is Mapua Orchards, which is developing more than 400ha around Houhora and Waiharara.
General manager Ian Broadhurst said the company had taken a multimillion-dollar leap of faith ahead of new water permits being granted, but the council seemed intent on “dragging its heels”.
As the process dragged into its third year, orchards were renegotiating existing, smaller water consents to keep seedlings alive and cutting back expansion plans, he said.
Years worth of hydrological work had shown the requested water take was a fraction of aquifer recharge, and fell well within allocation levels allowed in the regional plan.
“We can’t do anything without water . . . This is holding up developments that are essentially shovelready. They could be generating jobs that are sorely needed in Northland, but instead they’re parked or being reconsidered due to unnecessary delays.”
Regional council consents manager Stuart Savill rejected claims the authority was on a go-slow.
The applications were received between February 2018 and August 2019, with submissions closing on November 1 last year.
Later that month the council discovered historic errors in its groundwater data – the water level under Houhora was 2.5m lower than previously thought – so bores had to be resurveyed and models rerun with the new measurements.
The Covid-19 lockdown had occurred during the same period, Savill said.
Two commissioners had been appointed to consider the evidence and make a decision. They would hear 53 oral submissions in Kaitaia from August 31 to September 4.
Northland businesses affected by the delays include Kaitaia-based Far North Roading, which has recently branched into avocado orchard development.
Managing director Manu Burkhardt-Macrae said the company would have to win other work or cut
We can’t do anything without water . . . This is holding up developments that are essentially shovel-ready.
Ian Broadhurst
The Waipapa man who lost everything in a house fire over the weekend is grateful for “truckloads of community support”.
Fire investigators are still trying to establish the cause of the fire which razed the rural home on Kirikiri Lane, off Sandys Rd on the outskirts of Kerikeri, on Saturday morning.
The home was completely destroyed in the blaze.
Its owner Steve, who didn’t want his surname published, said he had gone to a neighbour’s home on Saturday morning, spotted smoke, and rushed back to find his house on fire.
“We saw some smoke and I knew I wasn’t burning any rubbish so there shouldn’t have been any smoke,” he said.
“So we hightailed it up to my house. Within minutes it wasn’t just smoke anymore, it was big flames.
“I ran to get the hose and started squirting the house but kept getting pushed back (by the heat and flames) and the fire got huge.”
The house was “well-involved” by the time several local fire crews arrived at around 10.40am. They battled the blaze for 90 minutes.
By the time it was extinguished only a burned out shell remained.
Fire and Emergency NZ specialist fire investigator Jason Goffin said he was investigating the cause of the fire.
Steve, who is staying at a neighbour’s house, said he was insured, but had lost “almost everything”.
A boarder who also lived in the house lost her belongings as well.
“Her boyfriend was going to be moving in so she had some of his stuff there as well.”
Steve said his neighbours and the community have been a huge support since the incident.
“Neighbours I didn’t even know existed turn up with thermos flasks of soup and all sorts.”
Goffin is also investigating a house fire on Price Rd in Springfield, near Ruaka¯ka¯, at 8.15pm on Friday.
The family evacuated after being alerted by smoke alarms.
Goffin said that blaze was caused by a fireplace, and he reminded residents to dispose of hot ashes in a metal bucket.
Another fire on Sunday afternoon caused “significant damage” to a home in Matakohe.
A fire, caused by an overheated ride-on mower, spread from the carport to the house.
The occupants managed to get out safely due to working smoke alarms, Goffin said.