Press release - October 9, 2016
Greenpeace has welcomed the preliminary results of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council election, saying the new council's top priority must be to ditch the Ruataniwha dam.
“The result shows Hawke’s Bay residents have had enough of contaminated waterways and don’t want more industrial dairy farming,” said Greenpeace campaigner Mike Smith.
“We look forward to the new council swiftly exercising its power to stop the dam.”
Greenpeace has been campaigning to stop the dam on the basis it will mean 9,000 additional hectares of industrial dairy farming in the Bay and compound local water quality problems.
“The dam was the key issue election issue in Hawke’s Bay. The people have spoken,” said Mike Smith. “They have given this council a mandate to scrap the dam. Politicians in Wellington would do well to take note.”