Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Media Release

29 November 2010

Water Symposium To Bring Together Different Views

Today in Napier a water symposium is starting that will step up the ongoing discussion in the Hawke’s Bay about the value of water to the region and set some targets for the future.

A wide range of people and organisations with water concerns have been invited to take part in the symposium being hosted by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

Participants that have been invited to the symposium include irrigation firms, environmental interests, agriculturalists, horticulturalists, business, fishers, sports users, and council staff.

“Water is critical for Hawke’s Bay for so many reasons – industry, crops and recreation – and there’s been plenty of discussion in recent years about water quality and availability, so this symposium will bring together all those interests together to move forward,” said Regional Council Chairman Fenton Wilson.

The symposium will be chaired by Chris Laidlaw who is a Councillor on the Greater Wellington Regional Council, a presenter on Radio New Zealand and involved various sporting and cultural roles.

Other presenters are :

• Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment;
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• Hon David Carter, Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity and Minister of Forestry;
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• Professor Roger Maaka, Ngati Kahungunu, Professor of Māori and Indigenous Studies and Director of Te Manga Māori at the Eastern Institute of Technology and Chair of He Toa Takitini, the mandated treaty claims group for Heretaunga and Tamatea;
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• Dr Morgan Williams, Principal, FutureSteps and former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
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• Professor Basil Sharp, Professor of Energy and Resource Economics at The University of Auckland,
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• Sam Robinson, CHB farmer and Chair of the AgResearch Board and Chairman of the Ruataniwha Plains Water Storage Project - Leadership Group.
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• Andrew Newman, Chief Executive, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
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• Darryl Lew, Group Manager, Resource Management
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The Government Ministers Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, and Hon David Carter, Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity and Forestry, will set the national scene on water.

There will be presentations on the values of water from Māori, environmental, social and economic perspectives and on Hawke’s Bay issues around water.

A number of discussion groups over the two days will enable participants to share their ideas on water conservation, harvesting and use as well as management for the future.

At the symposium, there will also be the first look at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council led futures scenario project which has been initiated to prompt Hawke’s Bay people to think proactively about their vision for the region over the next 30-40 years.

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