Big crowd at rally in support of dam

Particpants in the Don't Dam the Dam rally in Central Hawke's Bay. Photo/Warren Buckland

Central Hawke's Bay town and country joined forces to send a strong message to the rest of the region and the country at a large rally held at Waipukarau today.
More than 400 hundred vehicles and at least 600 people descended on the township by foot, by tractors, truck, four wheel drives, motorbikes and by air, showing their support for the proposed Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme.
Organised by two Waipawa electricians Gavin Streeter and Shane Heaton, the Don't Dam the Dam rally was a response to what the pair said had been negative commentory about the $275 million scheme that would provide irrigation to up to 25,000 hectares across the Ruataniwha plains.
Placards festooned the vehicles and disrupted normal traffic in the township for about an hour.
"Without the dam we are up the creek", "Don't criticise farmers with your mouth full" and "Assure our future Now" they read.
Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Will Foley addressed a three hundred to four hundred crowd that assembled after the vehicles dispersed.
"I think we just told the rest of Hawke's Bay and the rest of New Zealand what we want,"he said.
"The people making decisions on our behalf must take note of this. This opportunity does not come around often and we have to embrace it, which is what you all have done today."