Hawke's Bay Regional Council report pours cold water on irrigation bid in Central Hawke's Bay

A Hawke's Bay Regional council officer's report recommends independent hearing commissioners refuse applications for 15 million cubic metres of Central Hawke's Bay groundwater. Photo / NZME

Eight farming groups applying to use 15 million cubic metres of Central Hawke's Bay groundwater now face an uphill battle after a report recommended against it.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council consents team leader Paul Barrett's resource consent application report on a Tranche 2 groundwater take from the Ruataniwha basin was released this week ahead of an independent hearing at the end of the month.

In the report the officer recommends independent hearing commissioners refuse the applications.

Barrett said he considered there could be significant adverse effects from the proposal, noting there was a high level of uncertainty over the scale and extent of effects and a belief the proposal was not consistent with the national freshwater management proposals.

The applicants for the Tranche 2 groundwater take are Tuki Tuki Awa Limited, Buchanan No 2 Trust, Plantation Road Dairies Limited, Te Awahohonu Forest Trust, I & P Farming Limited, Springhill Dairies Partnership, Papawai Partnership and Purunui Trust.

Spokesman for the applicants, Duncan Abernethy of I & P Farming, said they were working their way through the report and would be providing their own evidence before the hearing.

"It's still early days at this stage."

Abernethy said if their applications are refused then the 15 million cubic metres of groundwater would remain available for other potential applicants and he didn't rule out the group reapplying in that case.

"We think on the balance that it is a pretty responsible use of the groundwater, but we are conscious other people have different views as well."

Forest & Bird freshwater advocate Tom Kay said it was promising to see the recommendation to decline the consent in the officer's report.

"I think there is a lot of public concern and there are a lot of unknowns about the potential impacts of this consent on our rivers and streams and fish and things that live in the Tukituki catchment."

Kay said it was good to see the principles of Te Mana o Te Wai, freshwater regulations introduced by the Government in 2020, coming through in consideration of policy now.

"The Tukituki plan and this water allocation was written at another time and the world has moved on.

"It is out of date and it needs to be looked at again through the lens of Te Mana o Te Wai and what the community wants to achieve in terms of outcomes for freshwater."

Of 72 public submissions made on the proposal, 69 opposed the Tranche 2 groundwater applications, one was withdrawn, one was neutral and one was in support.

A hearing will be held between August 30 and September 2 at Central Hawke's Bay Municipal Theatre, Waipawa, and Hawke's Bay Regional Council chamber, Napier.