Mark your calendar for next Wednesday the 9th, 7p, Lindisfarne College.

That’s the Hawke’s Bay Water Forum, sponsored by BayBuzz, among others. With the Regional Council preparing to make numerous critical decisions on water issues — decisions that will determine our region’s water future for decades to come — we thought it was rather timely to focus public attention on what’s coming down the pipeline.

We’ve lined up a diverse panel …

Russel Norman – co-leader, Green Party (we expect some local MPs as well, but this is not a candidates’ forum)

Hugh Ritchie – CHB farmer, serves on the national Land & Water Forum, and our regional stakeholders group looking at water harvesting in CHB and future management of the Tukituki

Morry Black – key advisor to iwi and treaty claimant groups in Hawke’s Bay on water issues

Graham Sevicke-Jones – chief scientist from the Regional Council

Tom Belford – BayBuzz editor and occasional critic of HBRC’s water management.

We’ll be moderated by Antony Phillips, editor of Hawke’s Bay Today.

But don’t think it will just be us talking at you. The Forum is two hours and at least half of that time will be reserved for questions and discussion from the audience.

This is where you want to be next week if you have concerns about the direction of freshwater quality, allocation and management for the coming decades in HB.

Tom Belford

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1 Comment

  1. I'm a 72 year Brit who only discovered your beautiful country in 2001, since then I have visited x4 more times, mostly fishing, but also touring around looking, I have also spent a lot of time with my friends in Hawke Bay… I have come to love your lakes, rivers and streams and I still marvel at the awesome purity of your water resources. I'm a nature conservationist anyway, but your enviroment makes me even 'Greener' albeit through envy!

    BUT in the last 10 years when I have visited your country I have seen many worrying developments which are starting to damage the fragile eco systems which you have… I am old enough to remember many such early warnings in my own country which also went unheeded resulting in serious non-reversible damage to our enviroment… sadly these continue today in spite of our protests and efforts… money speaks!

    You have a god given enviroment which is second only to heaven… for goodness sake protect it from stupid politicians and developers who chose to disregard your enviroment!

    Good hunting and power to your elbow!

    best regards,

    Brooksy. Worcester. England

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