Residents say give us a break until after Inquiry

A Hawke’s Bay residents group has called for a hiatus on all council decisions affecting aquifer and river water quality or quantity until the findings of the inquiry into the Havelock North water supply crisis have been made public.

Transparent Hawke’s Bay spokesperson Megan Rose says the call for a moratorium is in response to a community suffering a crisis of confidence in its water supply.

“This is not ‘business as usual’. 4200 people and their families, workmates and businesses have been affected by this. Yesterday’s closure of Haumoana School reminded us that new communities can be affected at any time. If this happened through a natural disaster it would be a state of emergency.”

“We think it’s appropriate for councils to recognise the state of public concern and call a temporary halt to any proceedings related to aquifer and river management until people have time to process what comes out of the Inquiry. On a practical level, some are physically not up to taking on a submission process right now.”

Last Thursday the regional council opened public consultation on a proposal to establish a separate organisation to manage significant

aspects of the Ruataniwha Dam project, including responsibility for the implementation of all scheme consent conditions.

THB says until the source of the contamination is known neither the public nor councillors can make fully informed decisions about river and aquifer management.

“It is a very confusing and fearful time for people. The people contacting us want to understand what’s happened and rebuild trust in the region’s drinkable water supplies.”

She said the public will be understanding of the time required to release the findings. “People are telling us they are a bit frustrated but that its common sense to understand what’s happened before making a decision about things that could affect the water supply in the future.”

Transparent Hawke’s Bay says the moratorium will give submitters a chance to rest and focus on what is important and urgent for them as they deal with the impact of the water crisis.

“It will also give the councils a chance to focus on getting this core service sorted properly,” she says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media