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Plans by far north iwi to develop their treaty settlement properties have been set back by the Department of Conservation’s decision to appeal a water consent order.
Te Aupouri, Ngāi Takoto and Te Rarawa are part of the 22-member Aupouri Aquifier User Group which spent four years getting a consent to take underground water for avocado orchards and other horticultural uses.
The appeal lodged by the department’s director of planning, permissions and land, Natasha Ryburn, says while the water will come from the deep aquifer under the Aupouri Peninsula, the takes may affect the shallow aquifer system and any surface lakes and wetlands connected to it.
DOC is unhappy with the adaptive management regime set out in the consent, and it’s not confident adverse effects will be identified.
It says Northland Regional Council has failed to understand the need for the precautionary approach in the way it allocates water.
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