April 08, 2013
Trust board in tussle over water
Tuwharetoa Māori Trust Board has confirmed it is in a tussle with Mighty River Power over how much it should be paid for storage of water in Lake Taupo.
The dispute was revealed in the offer document for the Government’s partial privatisation of the generator, which has dams along the Waikato River.
The document says while Mighty River Power believes Tuwharetoa has no legal basis to compel it to pay for using its lake, in the event the tribe wins its claim some payment will need to be made.
Tuwharetoa is also trying to buy the site of the Taupo control gates, which the Crown says it is contractually obliged to transfer to Mighty River Power.
Trust board chair John Bishara says the tribe’s 2007 deed for the lake gives it a right to charge commercial users.
He says it is working to resolve the issue with Mighty River Power.
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