Pouarua Water Storage Scheme Gets Government Backing

A $3.07 million, one-year feasibility project will assess whether the Pouarua Water Storage Scheme and its piped distribution network stack up, and how they could be funded. The project is led by the Wi Pere Trust in partnership with Trust Tairāwhiti, the local economic development agency.

The Government is contributing $1.19 million, including the first investment from the Primary Sector Growth Fund in water storage.

The project will: 

• carry out design work
• pin down costs
• develop revenue and ownership models
• prepare the ground for consenting

Potential Benefits

Preliminary economic analysis estimates the scheme could add $246 million a year in farm and orchard gate returns and create 1,926 new full-time jobs. These are preliminary estimates, and the feasibility study will test whether the scheme is viable.

“Reliable water means farmers and growers can plan ahead,” McClay says. “On the flats that means higher value crops, better pasture and more options for farmers.”

He says the scheme would bring more growth to the region, new post-harvest jobs, and farms and orchards that continue to produce during dry summers.

New Zealand captures and uses only about two per cent of its annual rainfall, according to the release. Storing water when there is plenty and using it when it is dry takes pressure off rivers and aquifers, and is good for water quality, the Government says.

A Community-Led Project

McClay says the Wi Pere Trust is carrying on the legacy of Wi Pere, who spent his years pushing for regional development and better opportunities for his people. He also recognised East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, who has been a strong supporter of the project and has pushed for the jobs and economic development irrigation could bring to the region.

“This Government wants farmers, growers and rural communities to have water they can rely on,” McClay says.