A much-awaited hui to discuss water issues in the region is underway in Havelock North - where an unprecedented water contamination last year thrust these issues into the national spotlight.
Nearly 30 speakers will address the public symposium, being held today and tomorrow at the Peak Vision Church, Te Mata Mangateretere Road, Havelock North.
The symposium was announced last December by Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham, Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule and Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana, who would jointly convene the event.
Although Hawke's Bay's water issues were of public concern well before, it was the Havelock North water contamination in August last year which thrust the issue into the spotlight, and sparked the call for today's hui.
The two-day symposium intends to cover a "kaleidoscope" of water issues such as public concern about water bottling plants, groundwater management on the Heretaunga Plains, and the TANK process regarding the Heretaunga aquifer.