Ruataniwha’s failure to attract any private funding a red flag

The Green Party is again calling on ACC not to throw good money after bad by investing public money in the hugely controversial Ruataniwha Dam, which will be a disaster for the Hawke’s Bay environment.

Local community groups, supported by Greenpeace, are protesting the Ruataniwha dam today highlighting the massive environmental destruction the proposed dam will have on the Makaroro,Waipawa, and Tukituki rivers. The $333 million dam has so far failed to secure any private investment and could end up relying fully on public funding from ratepayers and tax payers, including ACC.

“The case for the Ruataniwha Dam doesn’t stack up economically or environmentally, and ACC shouldn’t be investing New Zealanders’ money into it when private investors won’t,” Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said.

“This dam should not be entirely funded by public money while the benefits of it will go to private users.

“Why should New Zealanders risk their own money to build a $333 million dam, that’ll lead to more pollution in one of the Hawke’s Bay’s most beautiful rivers?

“This irrigation scheme will pour millions of litres of agricultural pollution back into the rivers in the Ruataniwha catchment.

“Destroying precious rivers for short-term gain is not a good economics,” said Ms Delahunty

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