Editorial: Motueka's water war

OPINION: The Tasman District Council could not be too surprised by the latest rift with one of its community boards, this time over water.

The Motueka board says it will appeal against TDC plans to greatly increase the take of water from the town's main aquifer for a reticulated supply for Motueka, and to help service the rapidly-developing coastal area further south.

The board's appeal may not be the best way to address the dispute but was predictable for at least two reasons: the depth of feeling among many Motueka people over the council's motives for taking "their" water, and the on-going tensions between council and community board.

The board's frustration that the TDC treats it with disdain is well documented.

That the ill-feeling continues to simmer was evident in the tit-for-tat exchanges over the water issue between a councillor and board members using press statements to criticise each other.

Mayor Richard Kempthorne is promising to smooth things over, suggesting misunderstandings are at play. He needs to clearly communicate what is going on.

The issues surrounding water are vital ones and highly charged, as recent shenanigans in Canterbury have vividly demonstrated.

The concerns of Motueka people are understandable, even if they ultimately have to yield to a greater good and accept that the community-wide interest in water is greater than individuals' self-interest.

But the council has to accept that this of all issues has to be handled with more maturity and less of the high-handed approach which has too often marked its dealings with its community boards.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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