Presented at the Gisborne Chamber AGM May 30th 2019

1. We are pumping our wealth
into the ocean

2. 270hectares
seeking a combined
2million cubic metres
of water is on the current
Council waiting list
LACK OF WATER IS CONSTRAINING HORTICULTURE

3. 1
MM3
5
MM3
2
MM3
5million cubic metres
of waste water is pumped into
our bay every year

4. South Australia
Virginia: 12,000 ha, 350
irrigators
Victoria
Carrum Downs: 3,000 ha
Queensland
Stanthorpe
Warwick

5. California
Montery – 4800ha mixed veg
Santa Cruz – 2000ha mixed veg
Sonoma – 2500ha grapes, veg
Modesto – nuts, citrus, stone fruit
Numerous others
Florida
1,100 ha citrus

6. 270hectares
seeking a combined
2million cubic metres
of water is on the current
Council waiting list
LACK OF WATER IS CONSTRAINING BUSINESS

7. Lowvalueannual
Maize
Squash
Lowvaluepermanent
Citrus
Grapes
Highvalueannual
Veggies
Highvaluepermanent
Kiwifruit
Apples
Lower value
No irrigation
Higher value
Requires irrigation
In demand

8. What is the value in converting low value non-irrigated crops to high
value permanent crops?
Area converted 1ha
Additional Farm Profit $57,300
Additional Jobs 1
250ha
$14.3M
250
500ha
$28.7M
500

9. What about water quality?
Crop considerations
Irrigation method
National standards
Exporter/end-market requirements

10. What about cost?
Quality
Cost

11. There are numerous infrastructure options
I will discuss two

12. Option 1 – Pipes and Pump
circa $20mill

13. Option 2 – Pipes and Pump,
and a Wetland
circa $40mill

14. What about value?
Quality
Cost/Value
What will irrigators pay?
90c - $1.50 per m3

15. What if….
• A treatment and irrigation scheme was set up
• 250 hectares was involved
• Irrigators purchased water for $1.50/m3
• They used on average 1,800m3 per hectare for a hot 90 day period
each year
Annual Revenue $675,000

16. Benefits
• Cleaner water in the bay
• More options for horticultural
land
• More wealth created
• More jobs created
• Implementation is possible
Risks
• Clearly water quality and
contaminants is a risk
• What to do with winter water?
• Costs need to be clarified.
• Public perception
• Customer perception

17. If we get over the perception…
and growers demand it…
there is a massive commercial opportunity

18. Thanks to numerous contributors,
especially
Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa
Gisborne District Council
Murray Palmer
Jim Kelly
Thanks to report writers
Rebecca Starr
Murray Palmer
Terry Sheldrake
HUGE thanks for funding