Massive water storage project underway in Far North to future-proof region from running dry

December 19, 2020

The first of four reservoirs is being built, but there's still uncertainty about how the multi-million dollar initiative will be funded.

A massive water storage project is underway in the Far North to future-proof the region from running dry.

The first of four reservoirs capable of holding 750,000 cubic metres of water is currently being built, but there’s uncertainty around how the multimillion-dollar initiative will be funded.

“I'm just mind boggled why this hasn't been put together years ago. We have to go through crisis after crisis,” Te Tai Tokerau Water trustee Dover Samuels said.

Last summer, Kaikohe residents in particular were hit hard by a drought, with the army brought in to deliver essentials as the town’s water supply almost ran dry and water tanks were emptied. 

Samuels said locals have been forced to purchase water at “exorbitant prices” and “being charged for tank water aquifers drying up”.

“It amazes me, personally, that through the winter time, billions of cubic metres of water floods out to sea and no one has even thought about capturing some of this water,” he said.

The Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust has borrowed $29 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to help build the reservoir, located west of Kaikohe.

Te Tai Tokerau Trust chairman Murray McCully said while the fund is “enough to get us started, it’s not enough to get the whole scheme funded”.

The Water Trust is now consulting with locals, with the first town hui held today.

“We expect the [Far North District Council] to be the main shareholder and our most important customer because obviously, an important objective for them is Kaikohe's water supply is protected, but of course we're involved in discussions with landowners, people who might use the water, horticulture,” McCully said.

The new reservoir is expected to lift the area’s GDP by $67 million per year and reduce unemployment by 12 per cent, creating greater opportunities for agriculture and horticulture.

The Far North District Council said it’s ironing out the final details with the Trust.

The first of the reservoirs will be ready next summer, with forecasters predicting they might not be needed this year.


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