Two water pipeline projects in drought-stricken Northland are set to receive government loans totaling more than $40 million, Regional Development Minister announced Monday.Â
According to the trust leading the work, the project will transform local economies and solve Dargaville's ongoing water supply problems.
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced a $17.5 million loan to build a 22-kilometer (13.7-mile) pipeline from the newly built Waihekeora Reservoir to Dargaville, which is currently under level 4 water restrictions, forbidding all but essential water use.
Jones also announced a $24 million loan to build a pipeline connecting the Otawere Reservoir, expected to be completed in the coming months near Waimate North, with the Matawii Reservoir built near Kaikohe two years ago.
All three reservoirs were built by Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust with loans from the former Provincial Growth Fund. The new funding, which will need to be repaid, will come from the Coalition government's Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Jones said the two projects would significantly increase Northland's water security and unlock economic growth.
Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust Chairman Murray McCully said the Kaipara pipeline would provide water to approximately 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of potential horticultural land between Te Kopuru and Dargaville, as well as to Silver Fern Farms' processing plant at the eastern end of Dargaville.
From there, the Kaipara District Council will build a pipeline to its water treatment plant, which currently relies on the drought-sensitive Kaihu River.
McCully said the scheme would allow farmers along the flats south of Dargaville to access irrigation water and end Dargaville's water shortages.
"The town is suffering under these level 4 water restrictions and is, I think, hanging out for a solution. We're pleased to be able to provide it," McCully said.
Meanwhile, the Otawere pipeline project further north will connect the 4 million cubic meter (141.3 million cubic feet), $47 million Otawere Reservoir with the existing 750,000 cubic meter (26.5 million cubic feet) Matawii Reservoir.
Jones said the 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) pipeline would create a "water corridor" across mid-Northland, unlocking another 1,600 hectares (3,954 acres) of highly fertile land between Waimate North and Kaikohe.