Money needed to continue fight for Otakiri Springs

Sustainable Otakiri says it needs money to continue its fight to stop the planned industrial-scale expansion of the Otakiri Springs water bottling plant.

Sustainable Otakiri spokeswoman Maureen Fraser is the first to admit the two-year fight has been against giants with financial capital.

"We're a small group fundraising and applying for funds to pursue court action that could ultimately become case law in New Zealand," Fraser said.

"We've reached a point where we have exhausted our options for seeking funding and need help from the people of New Zealand."

In July last year Nongfu, trading as Creswell Enterprises in New Zealand, was successful in its application to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Whakatāne District Council to expand the Otakiri Springs' water-bottling operation from 2 million litres of extracted water per year to what could potentially become 580 million litres annually.

The decision, made by independent commissioners, was appealed by Sustainable Otakiri, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa (BOP) Settlement Trust.

Fraser said the iwi groups were appealing "the water take" with Sustainable Otakiri choosing to focus on the way Whakatāne District Council processed the application.

"Sustainable Otakiri and other community groups, including iwi, have spent tens of thousands of dollars to get to where we are now," Fraser said. "But we need more to keep fighting."

Creswell New Zealand Ltd applied to the Environment Court to "strike out" Sustainable Otakiri's appeal, which was dismissed last year. However, an application by Creswell NZ Ltd for security for costs against Sustainable Otakiri Inc was adjourned at the same time.

"If the court does impose a bond it would add to what is, in my opinion, the already grossly unfair financial position that most public or community groups find themselves in when they go up against the Resource Management Act (RMA) process," Fraser said.

She said an unsuccessful appeal to the Environmental Legal Assistance (ELA) Fund, which is governed by the Ministry for the Environment, for $10,000 set Sustainable Otakiri back.

"We have no back stops. That is why we are ramping up our social media and starting on a campaign to bring as much coverage to the cause as we possibly can."

Sustainable Otakiri is relying on crowd funding to raise money to continue the fight.

Last year, Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage, and Associate Finance Minister David Clark, granted an application under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 for Cresswell NZ Ltd to purchase land to expand the existing Otakiri Springs water bottling plant.

Their approval was conditional on Cresswell NZ obtaining consent via the Resource Management Act and that 60 new jobs are created and if these jobs do not eventuate enforcement action will apply.

Whakatāne Mayor Tony Bonne has previously shown his support for the proposed expansion, saying Nongfu had made a commitment to the Eastern Bay community "to the tune of full-time jobs at a new, state-of-the-art facility".

He said the flow-on effect would also include employment in other industries including transport, maintenance and tourism.