Baldock Larry: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Baldock Larry: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:619;Page:15304] 
LARRY BALDOCK (United Future) 
: 
 This is a very important issue that we are debating right now in relation to the Mackenzie Basin. The 15 cumecs of water was promised to the farmers in 1969. It is something that appealed to all of us as we sat on the Local Government and Environment Committee and heard the submissions about this issue. We unanimously agreed that everything possible ought to be done to try to resolve this issue because it is clearly something that Parliament should give its attention to. 
We have debated this issue a great deal. If it was simply an issue of legality that could be addressed by giving back rights that were lost I believe that it would have been in court by now or would be going to court and that would be the appropriate way to address it. But we know that that option is not open to the farmers as the 1969 Order in Council has been revoked. There is no way for them to proceed legally particularly because there is a High Court decision at the moment to do with water allocation in the upper Waitaki and that decision will have a bearing upon this issue. 
I am firmly convinced that the 15 cumecs of water do not pose any threat to Meridian Energy’s ability to generate hydroelectricity and any way a good percentage of it would flow back into the catchment area and be useful downstream. I have worked very hard with the Minister to investigate all the avenues by which Parliament can do the best we can to ensure that the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Board does take this matter into consideration. Ultimately I believe that the case rests on an environmental issue rather than on the legal issue of the 1969 Order in Council. It is obvious to anybody who visits the Mackenzie Basin that it needs water and that tonnes of dust every year are blown away as a result of the basin having been deprived of water for a considerable number of years. 
The Minister in response to our concerns has stood in this Chamber and given an assurance that she will make sure that the water allocation board does take into consideration these issues. All the historical data that is there will be put before the board all the various concerns of the Mackenzie Basin residents and the issues there will be presented and I believe that that will resolve the issue. I do not believe any water allocation board worth its salt would ignore the need for water in the upper Mackenzie Basin particularly given that it is such a small amount—15 cumecs. I would hope that the residents would get much more than that; that when finally a decision comes down from the courts about the consents in the upper Waitaki the water allocation board may allocate more water because huge productivity is possible up there if water is made available for irrigation. 
The difficulty that we face is that if we tamper with the legislation as it currently stands we may actually create more difficulties than we are trying to resolve. I am confident that the water allocation board will be provided with all the information it needs in order to make a very good decision. I will continue to work very hard on behalf of the Mackenzie Basin residents to ensure that that does occur. Unfortunately while we are sympathetic to the amendment from the Hon Dr Nick Smith our having been presented with it just minutes ago means we are not able to give it our support; it is something that would have to be taken to our caucus and I have not had the opportunity to do that. But I want to indicate to the Committee that we are very very committed to these concerns and I believe that we have already addressed them and that they will be resolved by the water allocation board when it is set up through the passing of this legislation.