Home News Opinion Videos Blogs Features Family Notices Classifieds Photos Events Clubs Advertising Contact
Sport Focus on the Land Entertainment
Editorials Columns Letters
News Market Place
‘Over the moon’ at subsidy
Thursday, July 19, 2012 • Debbie Gregory
A $352,500 Government subsidy to improve the drinking-water supply for the small Waituhi Village community near Gisborne has been approved by the Government.

Waituhi’s Dave Hawea is “over the moon” the project is finally going to be finished.

It has been a long time coming for Waituhi — approved for first stage funding three years ago.

But it is a blow for other rural communities here who believed they “ticked all the boxes” to get funding help for a safe drinking water supply.

In August 2009, Waituhi and Ruatoria were among four big projects approved for funding.

Waihirere residents were told to tweak their application and they would get the funding next round.

Waituhi village installed a chamber to the Waipaoa River, trench-piped water to tanks, and built a shed for the filtration system.

All that was needed was the filtration system and the reticulation to the 42 houses, two marae and one kohanga reo in the village. For the last 18 months it has been paying power charges for the unfinished system that could not be used.

However, now the funding has been approved, Mr Hawea is hopeful the new system will be up and running by Christmas.

Ruatoria has completed the first stage of its scheme but with no further funding for stage two, it is in limbo.

The people behind the Waihirere and Ruatoria applications were shocked in September last year when the Government announced funding of $60,000 to Manutuke and Te Pahou Marae, $27,791 to Te Araroa and $387,780 to Te Karaka for safe drinking water projects.

Waihirere’s Keith Kapita said it looked like Waihirere had missed out again and that was “hugely disappointing”.

“We were led to believe we ticked all the boxes for the criteria. We had strong support from the wider community.”

The applications were a lot of work and Mr Kapita was not sure where the community would turn next.

The safe drinking water scheme was originally introduced by the Labour-led Government in 2006 and had $117.8 million for 10 years.

It was started after some overseas tourists were sick from drinking water at a skifield in Queenstown and a Health Department report said the standard of drinking water around the country was below par.

The intention of the money was for safer water for non-reticulated rural communities.

In March 2010, the National Government said it was pausing funding because too many district councils were accessing the money to carry out projects that were already in their long-term plans to be funded through rating.

This week, associate health minister Jo Goodhew and East Coast MP Anne Tolley said the $352,500 Government subsidy would fund 85 percent of the cost of the treatment plant, reservoirs and distribution system for Waituhi Village.

This year the Government has approved $9.5 million in subsidies to improve drinking-water supplies in communities with a population fewer than 5000 people.

The subsidies will help 13 territorial local authorities and six other water suppliers provide safer drinking-water for over 20,000 people.
WATER FUNDING ARRIVES: Waituhi’s Dave Hawea is thrilled the safe drinking water project for the Waituhi village is finally going to be finished now the Government has given $352,500 for the second and final stage. The Waihirere community is left wondering what to do next after missing out on funding for its scheme for the fourth time even though it meets all the criteria. File picture
Comments
No comments - be the first to comment
Poll

Do you agree with a bid to pull bridge jumpers away from unsafe road bridges in the city by building “bombing platforms” for youngsters in safe places along the Turanganui River?

Please read: Call for ‘bombing platforms’
Yes
No
Don't Know
Send in your
News
Letters
Columns
Events
Clubs
Classifieds
Poll suggestions
Explore The Gisborne Herald
News Editorial Features Events
Sport Letters to the Editor Family Notices Clubs
Focus on the Land Columns Classifieds Advertising
News Features Polls Photos Contact
64 Gladstone Road, PO Box 1143, Gisborne, New Zealand | Ph: +64 6 869 0600 | Fax: +64 6 869 0643 (editorial) | Fax: +64 6 869 0644 (advertising) | News Hotline: 0800 NEWSLINE (639 754) | info@gisborneherald.co.nz Copyright © The Gisborne Herald