26 June 2013

Loss of Confidence in Regional Council

A loss of confidence in its Regional Council was one of the strong messages voiced last night at a packed meeting in Clive, Hawke’s Bay. The meeting, facilitated by Transparent Hawke’s Bay Inc, aimed to bring people up to date with the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme’s progression to a government appointed Board of Inquiry, soon to be publicly notified.

Pauline Elliott, Chair of Transparent Hawke’s Bay, says the number of people who expressed genuine concern around the lack of transparency was alarming, confirming the Regional Council has not engaged with its community in any meaningful way.

As well as the lack of transparency, people expressed concerns around security of regional assets, such as the Port of Napier; the massive increase in debt projected for this scheme; and the risks to ratepayers.

Tom Belford, one of last night’s speakers noted “negotiations with potential investors are taking place behind closed doors right now, while the major investors in this scheme, Hawke’s Bay ratepayers, are excluded from any information that would allow them to decide if this is a good investment or not”.

Transparent Hawke’s Bay will continue to lobby for close public scrutiny as the scheme progresses through the Board of Inquiry process and subsequent public consultation.

ENDS

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