Help conserve our water supplies

The New Year is traditionally a time when the nation heads to the beach and there’s little news to share. Not so this year. Our region has already recorded some major and exciting wins. These include the Government’s recent announcement of a $109.7 million to upgrade the rail line from Auckland to Whangarei and plans to reopen the spur to Otiria in Moerewa. The upgrade will allow for a container terminal to be built at Whangarei, and this will be a catalyst for our agricultural, horticultural and forestry industries.

Another significant announcement from the Government was made last week adding an extra $12.7 million grant to last year's $18.5m funding package from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF). This will further progress water storage projects in Kaikohe and Kaipara for our horticulture and industry. This is great news for the Kaikohe and whole region, and brings total funding for these projects to $31.2m.

As you know, our water supplies are under serious pressure right across the Far North with Level 4 water restrictions now in place for both Kaitaia and Kaikohe. This is an unprecedented situation and is due to the unusually dry winter we experienced in 2019. Northland Regional Council has confirmed it was the driest year in decades in many parts of Northland. This weather has continued with high temperatures and very little rainfall this summer. Unfortunately, forecasters are predicting this will continue for weeks or even months.

Some of you have asked how the Council has allowed this to happen. The simple answer is our water sources cope well in normal summer conditions, as do our treatment plants and other infrastructure. However, they were not designed for the record-breaking weather conditions we are now experiencing. Building water supplies to cope with extraordinary weather events is hugely expensive and your elected members have chosen to follow a more balanced planning approach.

Climate change means we need to reassess our plans and we are working with other Northland councils on ways to meet the challenges we now face in the years and decades to come. We are also working on solutions right now. For Kaitaia, we are pressing ahead with a project to make the Aupouri aquifer a supplementary water source for Kaitaia. We are committed to this project and plan to have it completed next year. We are fast-tracking a temporary supply for bulk water carriers so they can resupply water tanks for our rural residents in Te Hiku without travelling across the district. That supply should be operational within weeks. We have also completed work on a new water bore for our Opononi and Omapere. The Smoothy Road bore is now undergoing final tests and will begin supplying customers next week.

Without doubt we are facing very serious water shortages right across the district. The solution is rain, and plenty of it. Until that happens, we are asking everyone to help conserve the water supplies we have.