Water Storage

The Tararua Ranges is a huge catchment area with an average rainfall of 6 metres per annum yet we have no effective means of storing any of this water. With climate change, the Wairarapa will experience years with severe droughts as happened in 1972-1973, 1997-1998 and 2012-2013. The last was particularly severe and led to a plan for a water storage system in the Upper Plain area known as Wakamoekau. 

However, politics got in the way and when Wairarapa Water Ltd was about to apply for consent, the Greater Wellington Regional Council changed the planning rules so that it was non consentable. This took us back to square one.

Hawkes Bay has a consent for water storage known as Tukituki water storage scheme - previously known as Ruataniwha. My question is  - what will happen to our horticultural businesses that require reliable water supply when the Hawkes Bay can provide reliable water but the Wairarapa can’t?  We will lose business and this will threaten our economic future and local employment.

We need to have our own unitary council that considers more of the interests of the Wairarapa more so than what Greater Wellington has shown so far.