A hearing of appeals against water being granted from the lower Waitaki River for a new $200 million scheme irrigating up to 40,000ha in the Waimate area has been delayed.
The Meridian Energy-South Canterbury Irrigation Trust Hunter Downs irrigation scheme was granted four resource consents in April last year by Environment Canterbury (ECan) to take up to 20.5cumecs of water from the river near Stonewall.
However, that decision was appealed by Ngai Tahu and runanga, major irrigation companies on the lower Waitaki River, farmers and other parties.
In August, Environment Court Judge Jon Jackson held a pre-hearing conference and tentatively set down a hearing over four weeks, beginning in the week starting February 28 and concluding in the week starting March 28.
The hearing was to have been held in Christchurch for three weeks and Oamaru for the fourth.
However, those dates have now be changed, with 12 parties appearing before the court in Christchurch, and tentatively set down for a week from March 21.
Those parties are mostly farmers or farming companies.
The main parties will appear at dates to be set, some time after October 1.
Irrigation companies and farms who have filed appeals are worried about the effect granting water for Hunter Downs will have on existing users, particularly the priority they have to take water under their consents.
Ngai Tahu's appeal, which incorporates the Arowhenua, Waihao and Moeraki runanga, wants the court to overturn the consents.
Many of the smaller catchments within the irrigation scheme's area would be affected, the appeal said.
Hunter Downs would be the second- or third-largest irrigation scheme in New Zealand and the science and investigations supporting it, particularly in relation to Ngai Tahu's values, were inadequate, the appeal said.
