26 October 2017
Waimea dam process letter released

The Tasman District Council has released the letter that provides the agreed way forward for the current community consultation on the Waimea Community Dam.

Waimea Irrigators Ltd and Crown Irrigation Investments Ltd as the co-signatories have agreed to the release.

The “Process Letter” sets out the undertakings that the three parties have made to each other. While the letter does not commit the parties to achieve the milestones or to undertake the project, it does enable the partners, the Council and WIL to move forward with the project with the support of CIIL.

Council’s CEO Lindsay McKenzie said he was pleased that the letter had been released because it sets the scene for council’s current round of community consultation. “We are continuing to lay the foundations for the project by consulting on forming the joint venture company (a CCO) as we are required to do by law. We are also consulting on proposals to fund the company and on allocating the Council’s costs to water users and ratepayers. Unless, and until, all of the parties have met their undertakings we won’t have a project. The Tasman Resource Management Plan requires a decision to be made before 1 November 2018 on whether to construct the dam. If the dam is to be built it must be included on next year’s Long Term Plan consultation, so the timing is right.”

The Project Terms Sheets that were attached to the letter have not been released as they contain commercially sensitive information and are still subject to final negotiation.

The process letter is available on tasman.govt.nz/policy/public-consultation/waimea-community-dam-governance-and-funding/

ENDS

© Scoop Media