Green light for irrigation scheme
A multi-million dollar irrigation scheme labelled ‘‘landscapechanging’’ for Waimate and wider South Canterbury will go ahead, after a renewed push for investors proved successful.
Hunter Downs Water’s board of directors yesterday confirmed the company had the shareholders needed to proceed with the $110 million Hunter Downs scheme, which will irrigate 12,000 hectares of land between Waimate and Timaru.
There was doubt earlier this month of sufficient farmer interest in water shares to gain $70m debt funding from Crown Irrigation.
The company would now ‘‘finalise the funding structures and contractual arrangements in order to make this project a reality, and to commence construction early next year’’, a Hunter Downs Water spokesman said.
He acknowledged the role businessman Gary Rooney and his company, the Rooney Group, which had the contract to build the scheme, played in enabling it to get to this stage.
‘‘This decision is landscapechanging for our region, both for the community and the environment through, amongst other things, the ability to augment the Wainono Lagoon and to take pressure off our smaller waterways.’’
Rooney said he supported Hunter Downs as he wished ‘‘to see the community and environment continue to grow and thrive in a sustainable positive way’’.
‘‘I am heavily involved in achieving significant environmental and community benefits for the South Canterbury region and Hunter Downs goes a long way to achieving those outcomes.’’
Wainono farmer Jack Fox said he was disappointed the scheme was going ahead, and claimed he spoke on behalf of the Wainono community.
He worried the already-fragile Lake Wainono environment would become a ‘‘toxic wasteland’’.
‘‘The local Wainono community thinks it is like putting a bath in one’s living room without any plumbing, then filling it up with wastewater and just pulling the plug.’’
Environment Canterbury South Canterbury councillor Tom Lambie said augmentation of the lagoon would be subject to consultation with the community.