Irrigation was the lifeblood of Central Otago and plans to charge for irrigation water could drive the wine and horticulture industries out of business, election candidates were told at a forum in Alexandra yesterday.
Twenty-five people attended the forum, hosted by GreyPower Central Otago, and questions from the floor covered topics as diverse as asset sales, MMP, funding for people with disabilities living in the community and whether candidates favoured the abolition of Maori seats.
In attendance were Waitaki candidates Sue Coutts (Greens), Jacqui Dean (National), David Ford (Independent), Barry Monks (Labour), Colin Nicholls (Act New Zealand), Hessel van Wieren (Democrats for Social Credit) and Clutha-Southland candidate Ross Calverley (Conservative Party), representing Waitaki Conservative Party candidate Jesse Misa, who is overseas.
Former Act New Zealand list MP Gerry Eckhoff, of Alexandra, asked Ms Coutts if she was prepared to vote against the Green Party's proposal to charge for irrigation water "in the best interests of this area".
The Green Party planned to introduce a charge of 10c per 1000 litres of irrigation water, with the proceeds being used to clean up rivers.
"A big user of water here would expect to be charged $100,000 a year for their water at that rate," Mr Eckhoff said.
Cherry growers and the wine industry, "which is already on its knees", would be driven out of business.
Ms Coutts said water was "a shared asset. There's no business case for doing irrigation if you can't spend 10c per cubic metre on water."
Intensive use of land was one of the contributing factors to dirty rivers, she said.
Mr Monks said he would have to take a closer look at the figures but the policy was "effectively a user pays".
Mrs Dean said such a proposal would bring irrigation to its knees, "then the agriculture industry will fail".
Mr van Wieren said planning was the key, while Mr Calverley said helping farmers improve the environment so they did not waste water was the answer.
Mr Ford believed intensive farming, like dairying, was inappropriate in Central Otago.
