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IrrigationNZ says North Canterbury will be revitalised on the back of the Waitohi Irrigation and Hydro Scheme, which was granted resource consent this week.
"Hurunui District, like many other rural areas, has experienced gradual population decline and subsequent school and local service closures over the past 20 years."
"The announcement that Hurunui Water Project’s Waitohi Irrigation and Hydro Scheme can now proceed has the potential to completely reverse North Canterbury’s fortunes,” says IrrigationNZ CEO Andrew Curtis.
“The supply of reliable water will create certainty which will encourage greater investment in a range of land use options. With North Canterbury’s unique climate allowing a wide range of crops to be grown, the district is well placed to experience an economic boom," says Mr Curtis.
Mr Curtis says environmental concerns around intensive farming and increased irrigation would be taken care of through audited farm plans.
“Farmers and irrigators will have to perform to industry good management practice standards which will be monitored and adapted to pre-empt issues."
Mr Curtis says credit must be given to the Hurunui Water Project board and staff for driving the project through to consent stage, a long and difficult process which took more than a decade.
“The collaborative process overseen by Environment Canterbury which endorsed the Waitohi as a water storage option has proven it can provide a win-win for all."
"Water storage and irrigation go hand in hand with growing rural communities."
"Residents in North Canterbury should be excited about the opportunities ahead for them."
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“The collaborative process overseen by Environment Canterbury which endorsed the Waitohi as a water storage option has proven it can provide a win-win for all."
Environment Canterbury elected councillors were fired by the government and replaced with commissioners with a mandate to force irrigation on the region. For Irrigation NZ to trumpet a 'collaborative process overseen by Environment Canterbury' as some kind of endorsement is cynical to say the least.
"Residents in North Canterbury should be excited about the opportunities ahead for them."
"Hurunui District, like many other rural areas, has experienced gradual population decline and subsequent school and local service closures over the past 20 years."
"The announcement that Hurunui Water Project’s Waitohi Irrigation and Hydro Scheme can now proceed has the potential to completely reverse North Canterbury’s fortunes,” says IrrigationNZ CEO Andrew Curtis.
How can this be correct? So does he think the Waiau scheme and Balmoral schemes aren't there (sure worker conditions have not been good)? If they are there and the rural decline mentioned has gone on, what makes Curtis think a third scheme will fix anything....
http://landandwater.co.nz/councils-involved/environment-canterbury/huru…
The Hurunui is considered of high conservation value, and is noted for its trout and salmonid fishery value. The river is also used extensively for other recreational activities such as kayaking, sailing, jetboating and swimming. A diversity of landuses are represented; the upper catchment is largely pristine beech forest and low intensity pastoral hill farming. The middle catchment is predominantly grazed pasture and woody native vegetation, whereas the Culverden/Amuri Basin is intensively farmed with sheep, beef, dairying and plantation forestry the predominant landuse.
Two main irrigation schemes operate in the catchment; the Waiau scheme, which became operational in 1980, and the Balmoral scheme, which became operational in 1985. The increased availability of irrigation water has also been associated with major shifts in landuse in Culverden Basin, particularly the conversion from sheep and beef to dairying. Although there has been some shift from border-dyke to spray irrigation, the former method is still widely used in the Basin.
We know.
The PR is just wrong. but makes us think, why does it need be so wrong, why not rely on all the other benefit claims to make the case...
The PR is just wrong. but makes us think, why does it need be so wrong, why not rely on all the other benefit claims to make the case...
They have bad consciences about who is really paying versus who is receiving the bulk of the benefits. As always it's a case of socialising the costs and privatising the profits. Appeals to rising family fortunes fit well with this model of wealth transfer.
IrrigationNZ says North Canterbury will be revitalised
An inaccurate and immodest claim. North Canterbury officially comprises Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikoura districts. Provisional population estimates from a year ago show Waimakariri growing at a canter (2% p.a.) and it currently has a greater population than either Nelson or Timaru. Contrary to the claims above the smaller Hurunui District is also growing at a rate of 1% p.a. on the back of rapidly growing tourism and viticulture expansion. And Kaikoura is so geographically isolated from the rest of Canterbury that it generally doesn't count in this sort of discussion.
Judging from the maps they publish this could allow for considerable intensification of land use in some currently sparsely populated areas that happen to be in North Canterbury. I guess this is what they mean. But let's be clear that the 75% of North Canterbury residents who live in Waimakariri won't notice a thing.
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