News

22 February 2017 | Author: Murray Gribben

22 February 2017

Crown Irrigation Invests $1,370,000 in Hunter Downs Water Project  

Crown Irrigation Investments Limited (Crown Irrigation) has agreed development grant funding of $1,370,000 for Hunter Downs Water Limited (HDW) to complete the next stage of its work programme as it works towards becoming construction ready.

HDW's proposed work programme aims for construction to begin on the Morven Glenavy Ikawai Irrigation Company (MGI) canal this winter, with a commissioning date of spring 2019.

The scheme is dependent on the supply of alpine water from the Waitaki River via MGI's canal and mainline infrastructure.

Murray Gribben, Chief Executive of Crown Irrigation said: "This grant will pave the way for considerable economic, agricultural and environmental benefits for the region."

"Work on this project has been going on for a long time and the scheme has benefited enormously from 10 years of collaborative work between Meridian Energy and the Hunter Downs Irrigation Scheme Trust. HDW was established in 2013 and is a farmer and community led project."

The scheme will have the capacity to irrigate 21,000 hectares and, in line with Crown Irrigation's mandate, is targeted at an optimal size to future-proof the project. When completed, the project will provide a reliable water supply for farms and communities between Waimate and Timaru; providing much greater resilience for the greater South Canterbury region. The scheme has been granted consents with some of the most rigorous environmental protections in the country. It has the potential to benefit the wider community, including the augmentation of Wainono Lagoon.

"Irrigation schemes have added significant economic and environmental benefits to local regions and the New Zealand economy in other parts of the country and the Hunter Downs Water Project should deliver significant resilience to the local economy."

"Crown Irrigation is looking forward to working alongside HDW to help deliver the benefits the scheme will provide to the region," Mr Gribben said.

Crown Irrigation provides both development funding and construction capital to irrigation schemes across New Zealand. The development funding helps support (through matched funding) the development of irrigation infrastructure proposals to the stage where they are ready for construction, which means they must be commercially robust and demonstrate a high level of community support.

For more information contact:

Murray Gribben 021 126 8682