Insight for Sunday 6 April 2014

Proposed Ruataniwha Dam site

Water is a huge issue in traditionally drought prone areas such as Hawkes Bay and the Wairarapa; even more so with the controversial proposed  Ruataniwha Dam under consideration.

Critics of the dam projects say the regional councils running these schemes have not been transparent enough and key information is being kept out of the public arena.  In the Wairarapa, landowners say they are living under the threat of having their land forcibly acquired.

Farmer Vicki Feast fears her land at Mangatarere, Wairarapa could be siezed

Farmer Craig Preston supports the Ruataniwha Dam

But supporters of the scheme point to the urgent need to boost the economies of these areas and to create jobs. 

Peter Fowler

Radio New Zealand's Hawkes' Bay reporter, Peter Fowler, investigates the drive to build irrigation dams and worries about the process.