Emotions are running high as an irrigation scheme is dividing communities in central Canterbury.
Central Plains Water Limited (CPW) wants to flood the Waianiwaniwa Valley to make a reservoir for the scheme. Local farmer Marty Lucas says he and his wife stand to lose their entire farm.
"We are absolutely gutted, for the Government, the Ministry of the Environment, to give requiring authority to a group of farmers to give to another group of farmers is totally ludicrous. It is a total erosion of democracy," Mr Lucas said.
Around 300 landowners and shareholders have invested $15,000 each to finance resource consents and feasibility studies, while other landowners are campaigning against it.
Central Plains Water could be able to force landowners to sell their property if it falls within the network of canals.
Landowners are now restricted as to what they can do on their property. Farmers require Central Plains' permission to sell, subdivide or develop their properties.
"The precedent has been set now, where anyone can say I want to take my neighbours land, and they can do it. So public property rights are nonexistent now," he said.
The CWPT was given requiring authority under the Resource Management Act by former Minister of the Environment David Benson-Pope. This enables them to take areas of land designated for use as network utilities or large public works.
"It is just bloody disgusting…We don't know whether we will lose it or not, this is one of the questions the Central Plains Water Trust has not answered for us yet," Mr Lucas said.
"The dairy farmers on the plains think that we are standing in the way of progress, but they are the ones standing to take our land," he said.
CPW Chairman Pat Morrison said in a Press article that the proposed scheme will be the largest private construction project ever undertaken in Canterbury.
"Large construction projects always involve controversy. Like new highways, airport extensions and new routes for electricity transmission lines, it is impossible to avoid impacting on the lives of individuals."
Irrigation Scheme Plan
The Christchurch City and Selwyn District Councils formed the CPWT. They plan to construct a 2km wide earth dam and water reservoir at the foothills of the Malvern Hills, inland from Christchurch.
The dam will have a holding capacity of 280 million cubic meters of water.
Water will be taken from the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers, and a network of canals will feed into the lake and irrigate about 60,000 hectares of farmland.
Farmers currently take 20 cubic metres of water per second from the Waimakariri River. The new irrigation scheme proposes to take a further 40 cumecs.
Coalgate Residents 'having nightmares'
The village of Coalgate, about an hour's drive west of Christchurch, will sit 150m below the 55m high dam.
Families living there are having nightmares and children's imaginations are "working overtime", Mrs Snoyink said.
The dam will be three times bigger than the Opua dam, which breached when it was first filled.
"A whole section of the [Opua] dam blew out, and it flooded and it was sure lucky that no-one drowned – just stock – it did a lot of damage."
Mrs Snoyink believes the project could 'shatter' the cohesive local communities.
"They have good, healthy communities because they have got strong connections to the past ...we have got still people farming the land that came here 150 years ago."
Coast to Coast Race Under Threat
Recreational users of the Waimakariri River are horrified at the potential of the scheme to destroy the value of the river.
Coast-to-Coast organiser Robin Judkins said the project will take half the normal flow of the Waimakariri river in summer, making the river too shallow for the kayaking section of the race.
He said it could bring the 25-year-old event to an end.
"Their [CPW] original intention as formulated in 1999 was for floodwaters only and they received approval for their scheme from the government. They have since changed it to using 'run of the river' which is what my problem is."
CPW Project Manager Derek Crombie assures that the Waimakariri River will "not be left 'dry' over any stretch as a result of this scheme".
"The current low-flow minimum will be protected and no change to the summer minimum flow condition is required," he said in Press article.
Irrigation Funded by Councils and Farmers
The Christchurch City and Selwyn District Councils provided the initial $2.5m investment for the irrigation scheme. Central Plains Water Trust raised a further $4.7m through a share offer in 2004.
The Trust says that it has consulted extensively over the last five years with recreational, conservation, farming, tangata whenua and other affected groups.
The Selwyn Districts Councils' independent consultant Nick Boyes warns against CPW applications. His independent report on the scheme, which disagrees with many assertions contained in the CPWT proposal and recommends that the requiring authority be withdrawn.
The Selwyn District Council has received hundreds of submissions for consent hearings that begin on 25 February.
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