Waterways rules concern for Moroa race

Moroa water race is a man-made network that draws water from the Waiohine River, pictured, along with water from the Greytown stormwater system and the Battersea drainage scheme.

One of the greatest early engineering feats in South Wairarapa could now signal a looming dilemma for those charged with administrating it.

The Moroa water race, built over 100 years ago and which spans 250km of rural South Wairarapa, has long been a godsend to farmers on the dry plains and to other users on the fringes of the urban areas, especially around Greytown.

But clean water accords that now insist waterways are fenced off from stock, coupled with restrictions on being allowed to pump water from the race, pose questions on how the water race can be accessed for stock water while at the same time obeying the rules.

South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples said she believed most farms along the network of water races had fenced off their section of the race.

Stock were not allowed to linger in the waterway, Mrs Staples said, and she thought electric fencing was being used in some cases to fence off the race.

Mrs Staples said the Moroa water race was "not primarily an ecological system" but the council was charged with managing it in line with the national policy standards.

Last year an attempt to combine the Moroa system with the Longwood water race under a common by-law was contemplated but that by-law was not adopted.

A consultant's report prepared at that time identified the attitudes of people using the Moroa water race to fencing it off.

Some were in total opposition and questioned how that could be done while still allowing stock access to drinking water.

Others were less opposed but were unclear as to what type of fencing would meet the needs.

Moroa water race is a man-made network that draws water from the Waiohine River along with water from the Greytown stormwater system and the Battersea drainage scheme.

It dates back to the 1890s.