Dr Glen Robertshaw: Bullying holds up dam progress

As someone with background in environmental decision-making, I have followed the Ruataniwha Dam process with interest and, at times, disbelief.

Some of the decisions made by a few of our elected representatives and the management of Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company (HBRIC) have been truly shocking, and I am increasingly concerned that the way this project is being managed will poison the waters of future debates about environmental management, and may end up costing Hawke's Bay dearly.

Perhaps the most startling example of poor decision-making was the resolution passed by some councillors on February 24 that Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC) signing up "in principle" to buy approximately $40 million worth of water (the value seems to vary) from its own investment company was not "significant" and therefore did not warrant public consultation.

What makes this decision even more shocking is that only a few weeks prior, those same councillors had decided that spending up to $2 million on deep bore drilling to investigate the Heretaunga aquifer was significant.

In the end, all these councillors achieved by trying to push this resolution through was to waste an extra few weeks dealing with the public outcry before backing down and accepting that there did need to be public consultation.

Another example of poor decision-making and a lack of consultation is the "land swap" deal with DOC which has resulted in the current legal action taken by Forest and Bird.

It is now more than five years since the proposed dam site was identified, and yet it was only last year that HBRIC and DOC announced they had agreed to a land swap.

Other stakeholders did not find out about the deal until it was announced in the media. HBRIC argue that Forest and Bird are simply trying to stall the process by appealing to the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Did they really believe that deregistering conservation land, which may set a worrying precedent for other protected areas in New Zealand, would pass without challenge? And why weren't Forest and Bird, as well as the public, consulted before the deal was announced?

Add to this list of poor decisions constantly shifting deadlines as financial targets are missed, allegations of GNS scientists being intimidated, critical reports being sidelined and resolutions being passed while some councillors discussed them out of chambers and the result is widespread distrust of HBRIC and those councillors who support the dam.

I have spoken to farmers who are signed up to the scheme and even they have voiced their frustration at the lack of communication from HBRIC.

With projects of this size it is imperative that the public and other stakeholders are kept well informed and are genuinely engaged with.

Trying to steam-roll through the decision-making process only succeeds in putting people's backs up, creates political resistance and makes the process take even longer. Engagement and consultation are far more effective than bullying and secrecy.

However, my biggest fear of all is that, due to the dysfunctional relationships that have developed within and between HBRC, HBRIC and the numerous other stakeholders as a result of the Ruataniwha Scheme, Hawke's Bay could end up with a situation like Canterbury's, where the elected regional council were sacked and a government committee appointed.

What then for local democracy and a say in how our resources are managed?

- Dr Glen Robertshaw, who lives in Havelock North, has a Master's degree and PhD in Environmental Science, specialising in Environmental Decision-Making and Environmental Modelling.

- Views are the writer's opinion, not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz