Eckhoff Gerrard: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Eckhoff Gerrard: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:620;Page:15418] 
GERRARD ECKHOFF (ACT) 
: 
 The legislation we are debating tonight will become known in the South Canterbury region not as the Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Act if and when it is finally passed but as the “Act of Betrayal”. The people of that region had a legitimate expectation that the Government—whatever Government was in office—would ultimately honour the undertakings that were given albeit 30-odd years ago. We stand in this Parliament with things like the Treaty of Waitangi and select committees that meet at all hours of the day and night to honour promises supposedly given 160 years ago. Now we stand in this Chamber tonight debating whether—and this is the crux of the matter—the Government of the day this Labour Government should honour a guarantee or a promise. It was not a nod nod wink wink type of promise; it was a promise given to the farming community in the region of South Canterbury. As a farmer myself who understands the value of water I say there is no question that this legislation will be seen as I said earlier as an act of betrayal. 
The Mackenzie Country farmers had their expectations raised to exalted levels by United Future. Mr Larry Baldock met with those people and while I was not privy to that conversation the clear inference was that he would ensure that an amendment went through. Dr Nick Smith had an amendment that even the Green Party accepted as being fair and reasonable. Even with some minor adjustments Larry Baldock and the United Future party would not vote in favour of that amendment. Therefore the cast iron opportunity to provide for water for irrigation in that region will now pass from the people there. 
If anybody actually believes that the ministerially appointed committee will honour the agreement or that promise given all those years ago he or she is dreaming. The Government will appoint its own people just as Jim Sutton did with regard to his reference group on access. He knew exactly what the outcome would be when he appointed those people. The same thing will apply when the Minister appoints her people to ensure that her organisation—one would almost call it her subsidiary; it is of course Meridian Energy—gets whatever it wants in terms of a water right and the private people in that region will have to apply for rights. 
As I mentioned earlier water is something that is of massive concern to all of us on the east of the Main Divide of the South Island. One of the reasons why security of water supply is so vital to those people is simply that without the water the land in most cases is quite valueless. This Government is to turn the whole structure on its head in that region by saying that it will reallocate water rights. It will rethink the whole process whereby the farms that Mr Brian Connell and so on come from have always had the security of a water right—until the Government came along and said that it will turn that on its head. 
Maybe I misheard this but I am quite certain that I heard the member for that region Mr Jim Sutton talk about the people who came on the first four ships gaining the rights to water. He does not like the people who came on the first four ships so he is to redistribute those rights to the people. I suggest that Minister Jim Sutton get out of it and bail out of the ship now because he is history. The people of South Canterbury will not tolerate those water rights being redistributed to some johnny-come-lately who fancies being given that opportunity.