Another milestone for the Matawii water storage dam

An aerial photo showing an access road under construction to the Matawii water reservoir, near Kaikohe. Earthworks for the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park can be seen on the right. Photo / Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust

Construction of an access road to the site of the Matawii water storage dam, the first project in the country to be given the green light under fast-tracked consenting rules, has begun.

The dam, which will be built on farmland at Ngāwhā, east of Kaikohe, will cover 18ha, and will supply water for horticulture and the nearby Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park.

It could also serve as a backup water supply for Kaikohe, although extra infrastructure would be required.

Visiting the construction site last week, Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis confirmed his support for the reservoir and the new Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-Track Consenting) Act.

"The consenting process needs to be fast, otherwise it is a pointless exercise, and the North needs this project to be able to deliver," he said.

"I've had conversations with my colleagues, and there is no doubt that the government is committed to it. This is the type of development that the region needs."

Davis was joined on the site tour by former Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, who secured a PGF loan for the water storage scheme while in government.

Once the access road is complete work on the dam itself can begin.

The Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust, which plans a number of reservoirs and water schemes around the drought-prone Mid North and Kaipara, hopes Matawii will be operational by summer 2021-22. The 750,000 cubic metre reservoir will be filled by pumping water from nearby streams in times of high flow.

Trustee Dover Samuels, a former MP for Northern Māori, said the project would bring new investment and opportunity.

"You just have to look at Kerikeri to see what a reliable source of water can do for a community,'' he said.

Reservoirs planned by the trust would allow a combined 7000ha of land to be converted to high-value horticulture.

The trust has also asked the Minister for the Environment for permission to apply for fast-tracked consent for two more reservoirs in the Mid North, at Otawere, near Waimate North, and Te Ruaotehauhau, near Ōhaeawai. A decision is expected this month.

If built, Te Ruaotehauhau would cover about 30ha and hold 1.4 million cubic metres of water, making it almost twice the size of Matawii.

The trust is also looking into building a reservoir north-west of Kaikohe, which would be called Rakauwhai. That project is in its earliest stages, with the trust talking with affected parties about feasibility.

The site is currently owned by state farming company Pamu, formerly LandCorp, so the land could be included in a future Treaty settlement. That means the project can't be considered for fast-tracked consent.

The trust has submitted an application through the normal channels, in this case the Kaipara District and Northland Regional councils, to build a reservoir near Glinks Gully, south of Dargaville. Fast-tracking was not required in that case because it is a relatively simple project. The trust hopes construction will start before winter.

That reservoir could be expanded in future if demand for water in the area grows.