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June 23, 2020
Waikato Tainui says poor planning making water crisis worse
Waatea Team
Posted On June 23, 2020
Waikato Tainui is holding fast to its opposition to any fast-tracking of a consent to increase Auckland’s water take from the Waikato River.
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says no tribe has the right to deny a third of New Zealand’s population the right to a guaranteed supply of water in the middle of a drought.
But the chair of Te Arataura tribal executive, Rukumoana Schaafhausen, says Auckland’s current crisis is the result of poor planning by city leaders.
She says the iwi wants to focus on solutions, including investing in infrastructure and establishing a fund for initiatives to improve the health and well being of the river.
"With climate change and the growth projections for both Auckland and the Waikato, our awa can't sustain it. We have to reduce reliance on the awa and to do that we want to be part of the solution but we need a greater level of commitment from Auckland Council's leaders, particularly the mayor," Ms Schaafhausen says.
Waikato Tainui will appear before Auckland Council on Thursday to put its case.
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