August 02, 2013
Doubts aired on Hawkes Bay dam
A Māori appointee to the Ruataniwha Water Storage Board Committee, Roger Maaka says there still needs to be lots of talking before a final decision is made about the proposed Ruataniwha dam.
A hui at Clive this week called on Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc to oppose the massive project to irrigate the central Hawkes Bay, citing the regional council’s past disregard of Māori water concerns in the region, insufficient protection of environmental values and lack of adequate consultation.
Dr Maaka says such meetings tend to be dominated by people with public speaking experience, such as unionists and teachers, and it can be a different story once the issues are discussed at marae committee level.
He says he has attended more than 100 meetings on the dam over the past couple of years, and consistent themes come through in the questioning.
"The environment, or often expressed as the mauri of the river, will it be cared for, will it be made worse, will it be improved? Will we still be able to take kai there? The taking note of wāhi tapū? The second part is what part will Maori play in this? We the local tangata whenua, what kind of input will we have if any?" Dr Maaka says.
The issue of whether the dam goes ahead is now before the Environmental Protection Agency, and people will get a chance to have their say.
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