August 03, 2017
Russian billionaire there to awhi Ngatiwai
Ngatiwai chairperson Haydn Edmonds has come out in support of Russian billionaire, Alexander Abramov after some locals accused him of taking water from an awa in Helena Bay North of Whangarei.
Abramov is estimated to be worth $4 billion dollars and owns 22 percent of Russia's steel.
The $40m Helena Bay Resort in Whangaruru applied to Council for a 60000 litre a day water-take.
Haydn Edmonds says the resort withdrew its application following further consultation with the hapu.
He says they're in discussions over kaimoana rejuvenation in their takutai moana.
More importantly, says Haydn Edmonds the Abramov whanau and resort workers were the first to the scene of a fire at the local Mokau Marae.
"They were the first one's to come down there to assist in the clean up. In fact he's offered to assist in helping us with our rejuvenating the moana there by rebreeding crayfish and paua. Those are the conversations that we are having with him and he is very open to that and willing to support the notion of those things going foward which is positive for us," says the chair of Ngatiwai, Haydn Edmonds.
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