Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

South Island benefits from latest irrigation funding

Updated at 8:41 pm on 20 May 2009

The South Island has been the big winner in the latest distribution from a Ministry of Agriculture fund which helps establish community irrigation schemes.

In the latest round, more than $560,000 will be distributed to five projects in North Otago, Tasman, North Canterbury, South Canterbury, and central Otago, over the next five years.

Earlier this year the fund was expanded to provide money for local government-led water strategies, and almost $220,000 was given to the Canterbury water management strategy.

Applications for the next round of funding closed recently and MAF will assess them this month.

Consultation on Canterbury water management

Public submissions are being sought on which approach Canterbury wants to take in order to manage water effectively in the region, and what environmental outcomes it wants to see.

A consultation document, outlining four possible options, was released to every household in the area last month.

One of the options has an emphasis on improving the environment, while another more expensive option includes water storage.

A series of public workshops explaining the details of the different options will be held around the region between the 18 May and 22 May.

Once a decision is made, a recommendation will be made to the regional council to take it into account when planning how to use the water resources in the future.

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