Controversial Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke's Bay discussed at council for first time in years

• Plans for the nearly billion-dollar dam were scuppered in 2017 when the Supreme Court deemed a land swap unlawful
• But that could be over-ridden by the government's new Fast Track Approvals Bill
• The Ruataniwha Dam has been rebranded the Tukituki Water Security Project
• It would see a dam built on the Makaroro River, a tributary of the Tukituki River, and the flooding of 22 hectares of conservation land

The controversial Ruataniwha Dam project was back in the public spotlight at a council meeting on Thursday for the first time in years, as the Central Hawke's Bay Council met to discuss the formation of a trust for its consents and intellectual property.

The Ruataniwha dam project was thought to be dead in the water seven years ago, but it's now back on the table along with all the same concerns. Central Hawke's Bay Council's Pou Whirinaki Amiria Nepe Apatu implored the council and a crowded public gallery to question the impact of the dam.

"What are the effects on our community, especially in our whakapapa? So that's what I ask at this table today - how will it affect our whakapapa in future?," Nepe Apatu said.

"Is there not other options we can look at? Is this the only option for us here in Tamatea?", she said.

When the dam's plans were halted in 2017, a group of locals called Water Holdings Hawke's Bay Ltd (WHHBL) formed an entity and bought the dam consents and intellectual property from the regional council for $100,000. It was worth $25 million.

WHHBL includes farmers Bruce Worsnop and David Ritchie, and had previously been led by former mayor Tim Gilbertson.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council now wants to establish a charitable trust with WHHBL and the Tamatea Pōkai Whenua Trust, and call it the Hawke's Bay Community Water Trust.

Once operational, the Ruataniwha Dam IP and consents currently owned by WHHBL would be transferred to trust ownership and Water Holdings would be paid back for the cost.

'This is always going to be an emotional subject'

A proposal establishing Hawke's Bay Water Trust, and its draft deed was presented to the council for the first time today. It's being backed by mayor Alex Walker, who told the meeting that water security has been a strategic priority for the council for many years.

She said it won't be a 'commercial' endeavour, but rather a community led one.

"The concept of a trust as being the vehicle for protecting the heart of some of this conversation is really valuable to me because it moves it to a place where we can protect the council, ratepayers and community," she said.

The council has agreed to progress to the next stage of developing the trust, and councillor Jerry Greer told the room why he supported the dam.

"This is always going to be an emotional subject and this is one piece of puzzle towards solving water security for our region, not just Central Hawke's Bay but all of Hawke's Bay.

"I look forward to getting on with this," he said.

It was a feeling shared by councillor Tim Aitken.

"If we are going to have climate change and more severe droughts, we somehow have to, for our community, have resilience in freshwater and this is just one step on that way of getting resilience," he said.

But someone who could not have their say at the meeting was Trevor Le Lievre from Wise Water Use Hawke's Bay.

"Oh it's hugely frustrating... but also not surprising. It's indicative of the lack of transparency that has overshadowed this dam right from its first iteration," Le Lievre said.

He said the 'community trust' was a joke.

"There's been no community involvement at all - more accurately the council might like to call it the 'community distrust'."

However, the council's chief executive Doug Tate told RNZ that due diligence has been done to ensure proper processes were followed, and that time has been set aside for a public forum on 31 October.

Councillor Gerard Minehan urged those at today's meeting to step up.

"This council really needs to show transparency and accountability, and I think that's because we need to help build the trust within the community," he said.

"I feel some of our community members are sceptical of our council's involvement in this trust."

The council will now prepare more advice for consideration at its next meeting on the issue in two weeks' time where there will be a formal vote on whether to establish the Hawke's Bay Community Water Trust.

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