November 20, 2018
Wairarapa Māori wary of irrigation
Māori aspirations for water are leading to increasing Māori concern about the effect of irrigation.
That's what Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones is picking up from his efforts to spir activity in the provinces.
The incoming coalition Government expressed its opposition to the mega-schemes favoured by National, because of concerns about the intensification of agriculture and its subsequent degradation of water sources.
He says Māori support that position, especially in Wairarapa.
"Māori landowners said to me they are not going to tautoko any further irrigation unless they can see how not only does it demonstrably improve their treaty lands but it doesn't further alienate them from their traditional sources of mahinga kai and their quest to improve the quality of the water-based environment and given that Lake Wairarapa was stripped from them a long time ago they are very sensitive to those issues in Wairarapa," Mr Jones says.
A working group set up by Environment Minister David Parker includes a focus on how water can be allocated to meet Māori development aspirations.
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