Meg Rose: Queries on dam vital in democracy

Meg Rose

It didn't take long for a consistent theme to appear from the phone calls and emails I received after the recent public meeting on the proposed Ruataniwha Dam.

Almost every message mentioned the "courage" shown by the regional councillor invited by THB to deliver a closing statement.

While I was grateful for the public response and thanks offered to THB, HB Today and HBRIC for fronting the evening, I've been left wondering what sort of democratic environment this huge decision is being made in when an elected representative risks repercussions just for speaking the truth.

Isn't that what we pay our councillors for? To objectively and independently probe for the truth and give all ratepayers certainty in any final decision?

Yes, there are two sides to the RWSS debate, but it's not pro- or anti-community irrigation schemes or water storage and it's not townies versus rural, or CHB versus everyone north.

The two clear sides of this debate remain those who want more detailed information made public for open discussion - and those who don't.

Individuals have their own reasons for heckling the information aired on the night, interrupting or using personal insults over reasoned, respectful debate of the facts behind the spin.

Questions from ratepayers, farming families and their elected representatives on the regional or CHB councils won't go away just by creating an uncomfortable environment for fact-finding.

Councillors are elected and paid to represent the concerns and aspirations of the people in their electorate, and that's what the Hawke's Bay public will continue to demand.

Ongoing questions ranging from the number of gravel-filled truck movements to how HBRIC and HBRC intend to manage the health of the Tukituki under RWSS consent conditions affect everyone from CHB farmers to residents at the rivermouth, and they deserve to be answered in full detail.

Nothing else will dispel the uncertainty around this project.

We now have a region, as well as a farming community, that has been split in two by this proposal - it doesn't matter if by accident or on purpose - that must somehow be brought back together.

The elephant in the room, whether you were at last week's meeting or not, is that this single high-risk project has been painted as CHB's only chance of survival.

A statement from HBRIC consultant Andy McFarlane that the dam would deliver untold social benefits to the struggling CHB community received the loudest cheer of the night - but the crowd was again left wondering how. Social benefits cannot be played off against conflicting interpretations of the scheme's financial viability - this does nothing to allay ratepayer fears, nor increase certainty for the CHB farmers making a tough decision.

Instead of reaching a conclusion that all Hawke's Bay people can understand clearly and come to support, the result after all these years is palpable desperation, divisiveness and a culture of secrecy and fear.

If HBRIC cannot meet HBRC's strict conditions for uptake, river health and economic risk for ratepayers, and regional councillors decide to mothball the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme, CHB residents need to know Hawke's Bay people will not just roll over and go back about their business. CHB's pain has been clearly heard by all and it cannot be ignored.

So let's not stop here. If we ensure the HB Today meeting is the start of better, more open and informed community-driven conversations, we will all be better off.

Last week's meeting proved there is clearly an appetite for it.

Meg Rose is chair of Transparent Hawke's Bay.