11 March 2016

ACC shouldn’t prop up Ruataniwha Dam

The Green Party is calling on the ACC Fund to not invest public money in the Ruataniwha dam.

ACC is reportedly part of a consortium of public investors who are likely to fund 100 percent of the dam’s build costs, along with Crown Irrigation Investments and regional council-controlled Hawke’s Bay Regional Investment Company. Most of the rivers in the Ruataniwha catchment already exceed acceptable nitrate levels.

“The case for the Ruataniwha dam doesn’t stack up economically or environmentally, and ACC shouldn’t pour New Zealanders’ money into it when private investors won’t,” Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said.

“Destroying precious rivers to fit more cows on the land is exactly the wrong way to spend public money at the moment.

“It’s totally wrong that this dam could be entirely funded by public money while the benefits of it will go to private users.

“Why should New Zealanders risk our own public money building a $300 million dam, that’ll lead to more pollution in one of the Hawke’s Bay’s most beautiful rivers?

“ACC should be using its investment power to help clean up our rivers, not contribute to their decline by funding projects like the Ruataniwha dam,” Ms Delahunty said.

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