Rally to protest water order gains momentum

Twyford Irrigators Group spokesman Jerf Van Beek campaigns against the Water Conservation Order.

Hawke's Bay's fight to stop a controversial water conservation order (WCO) on two of its largest rivers is gaining momentum.

Hundreds of Hawke's Bay businesses, residents, environmentalists, iwi and growers, have put up billboards around the region to raise awareness and gain support in an attempt to stop the WCO going ahead on the Ngaruroro and Clive River.

Twyford Irrigators Group spokesman Jerf Van Beek says the Hawke's Bay community needs to be educated about the devastating impact of the WCO.

"It will impact hugely on both the urban and rural communities. We believe as a region we can look after the river and we are working through a consultative TANK process to do this.
"The WCO will keep us in the Dark Ages. We are saying Hawke's Bay should be in charge of its own destiny.

"The WCO will be detrimental to our economy and hundreds of jobs will be lost. We think we can achieve the environmental balance with the processes we have in place."

A Hawke's Bay Rally is planned on September 19 where hundreds of Hawke's Bay residents are expected to hit the road, alongside tractors and plenty of heavy machinery.

The rally will start at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds in Hastings and move through to Clive.

Despite an existing consultative process called TANK, which involves councils, growers, environmentalists, iwi and other groups, the NZ Fish and Game Council, along with four others, has lodged the WCO application with the Minister of the Environment.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham says he is disappointed that outsiders have interfered with the TANK process, which has been under way for about four years.