In other words, solely to enable a commercial think-big project to be built. Let's be real and honest for a change, Mr English.
Additionally, was Mr English aware of HBRIC's consultant's environmental assessment report that there is 185ha of native bush and habitat within the dam footprint? You get the drift. Perhaps Mr English can advise New Zealanders as to how destruction of these 185ha will "increase the net conservation value" by "trading" it for a 170ha block of Smedley Station land?
Ms Barry then states that "The appeal to the Supreme Court was not about whether the Ruataniwha Dam should go ahead", - which is wrong, as this was all about the Ruataniwha Dam - she knows it, I know it, and most of Hawke's Bay knows it.
Surely the Minister does not think that well-informed voters will buy this blatant spin, given the history of the dam process to date?
She further states: "We will now look at changing the law to ensure we can continue to improve conservation outcomes by having the ability to make land swaps where the outcome would be a win for conservation."
I might add that although this move by the National Government was not unexpected, seldom have I heard such drivel emanating from a minister of the Crown where the evidence of National's conservation record over the last nine years, and the facts concerning the land swap, directly contradicts what she says.
Let's look at some of the dam land swap facts again, which I've mentioned before, but need to do again for the sake of clarity and emphasis.
Firstly, the fact that the Government, under the auspices of the Crown, and managed by Public Trust on its behalf, is the de facto owner of Smedley Station. The previous owner, Josiah Howard, gifted it to the Crown in his will.
Secondly, that Smedley Station is governed, managed and operated under the authority of its own act of parliament, the Howard Estate Act 1978. The Minister for Public Trust is Amy Adams, also the current Minister of Justice. The act stipulates that any part of Smedley land sold or disposed of requires the approval of the Minister for Public Trust.
Thirdly, DoC land is also owned by the Crown. This raises the question, why the charade of a so-called land "swap" in order to "increase the net conservation value"? If this sham was really about increasing net conservation value, all that Amy Adams needs to do is authorise Public Trust to survey off the 170ha of Smedley land earmarked for the "swap" into a separate title, and that nominal ownership thereof is changed in the records from Public Trust to DoC.
Simple, isn't it?
Funny that neither HBRIC, the previous regional council nor the National Government ever admitted or acknowledged this, because doing so would expose their real intention, which we now all know has absolutely nothing to do with "increasing the net conservation value", and everything to do with furthering their flawed ideology of increased land use intensification through think-big irrigation schemes, at the taxpayer and ratepayer's expense.
It has become very clear over the past eight years that National will not hesitate to sacrifice our environment and precious conservation land to further its aims of unsustainable economic growth.
It's time for change, simple as that.
Dan Elderkamp is a CHB environmental advocate and conservationist.
