Draft deed of charitable community water trust tabled in pursuit of water security

A proposal establishing Hawke’s Bay Water Trust, and its draft deed was presented to Central Hawke’s Bay District Council for the first time today.

The purpose of the proposed charitable Trust is to explore solutions to water security in Tamatea – Central Hawke’s Bay that will last for generations to come - and it places community ownership and voice at the centre of it, said Mayor Alex Walker.

“Water security has been a strategic priority for the council for many years,” said Walker

“We have known for over a decade about the importance of water security in Central Hawke’s Bay. We have been battered by droughts, floods and cyclones, and we need to consider all the tools and levers available to us to secure water in our district for future resilience and growth.”

The Council has been facilitating the development of the Trust, alongside Tamatea Pōkai Whenua and Water Holdings Hawke’s Bay Limited. If created, it is proposed that the intellectual property and consents for the dam on the Makaroro River would be transferred to its ownership. The Trust would further explore the viability of water security initiatives, including the Tukituki Water Security Project.

“Keeping the option of water storage in Hawke’s Bay alive is one of those tools we need to consider. Obviously, that is alongside other initiatives like technology and water efficiency, land-use diversification and home- based water storage in our urban towns.”

Walker said why the council was doing this was because Central Hawke’s Bay was the only district in Hawke’s Bay to have operated under a targeted catchment plan where Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has limited water consents, land use activities, and nutrient run-off for about ten years. “Limited water use is not just a potential threat in Central Hawke’s Bay, it has been a reality for a long time.”

This was the first time we had seen all of this information, and we will be sharing that with the public by the end of this week on our ‘Let’s Talk CHB – Korero Mai’ page, Deputy Mayor Kelly Annand said.

“We always put community at the heart of our decisions,” Annand said.

“Today’s discussion focussed on our potential role in a community trust and how we ensure community ownership and conscience sits at the heart of any future plans for water security, so it’s not primarily a ‘commercial’ endeavour.

“Ultimately, we want to put the community in the driving seat.”

ENDS

11 November 2024

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