Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said that the dredging of Clive River will next occur in 2022.
According to Group Manager Asset Management, Chris Dolley , the Regional Council is currently seeking resource consent for the Clive River dredging from the Regulatory Team – the consenting authority.
“Our engineering staff must also meet all consenting requirements for this activity under the Resource Management Act, various national and regional policies and rules,” said Mr Dolley.
“This has required extensive assessment of environmental effects, recognising the river’s status as a Statutory Acknowledgement Area under Treaty Settlement legislation.”
The Regional Council has completed the submission of technical information and engaged external expertise to undertake a Cultural Impact Assessment. Due to their workload, the assessment cannot commence until July and the consent application cannot be completed until September 2021.
“Once the application is submitted, it will possibly be a notified consent, which may require hearings and could even be subject to appeal. This would suggest the most likely period for the work to be undertaken is the first half of 2022.”
“We understand the current and ongoing frustration for river users and for the Regional Council, but the consenting function of the Council must follow the same robust RMA processes as with any other application,” added Mr Dolley.
The Regional Council will sign off on its Long Term Plan today, which confirms another dredge to be performed in ten years’ time.