The Provincial Development Unit (PDU) is pleased to see that the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funded Matawii Reservoir is the first project to benefit from the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-Track Consenting) Act 2020.

As well as being a landmark project for the Resource Management Act (RMA) fast track process, Matawii Reservoir is a flagship project for the PDU.

“The Matawii Reservoir will lift employment and generate additional land and business investment in Kaikohe by making water available for a town that regularly faces water shortages,” says Ben Dalton, PDU’s Chief Operating Officer.

“The reservoir demonstrates how government investment in regional economic development can generate employment during the COVID recovery while unlocking the long term potential of the region,” he says.

The Matawaii Reservoir is part of the PGF’s focus on water storage solutions for Northland, of which the reservoir is one project.

“This project will bring new jobs to Kaikohe to build the reservoir and construction will start immediately. The project estimates that there could be an additional 60 full-time jobs in the region and an increase in GDP of $9 million per annum. This is great news for the region,” Mr Dalton says.

“Water stored in the reservoir will enable higher value crops to be grown on the land around Kaikohe. Much of the land around the reservoir is Māori owned which is high quality but used for low value crops or grazing of animals. Access to water will enable this land to be brought into higher value horticulture use.

Mr Dalton says the Matawii Reservoir will improve community outcomes in the face of climate change by making water available to Kaikohe through times of drought.

“The availability of a sustainable water supply will bring people back to Kaikohe,” he says.

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