Listen Now: 
Te Rarawa chair Haami Piripi says a water storage scheme near Ahipara is not just an investment in the iwi but in the whole of the far north.
The rūnanga is putting $1.5 million into the project to build an artificial lake, with the Provincial Growth Fund putting up the balance of the $4 million price tag.
The stored water, which will be the equivalent of 140 Olympic-sized pools, will be used to covert about 400 hectares of dairy farms into horticulture.
He says the need for such a cutting-edge project has been growing.
Haami Piripi says with tourism hit hard by COVID-19, Te Rarawa is looking at ways to step up its food production businesses.
“Te Hiku o te Ika peninsula is getting drier every summer and we need to get proactive to preserve the excess water we get in the winter and preserve it for the summer, but it’s good for the entire region,' Haami Piripi says.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2020, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
