About the TANK Project

What is TANK all about?

This project began in 2012. The Council formed a big stakeholder group roughly representing the wider community to look at the best way to manage the waterways of the Tutaekuri, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamu catchments. The project quickly became known as TANK.

The Group has met regularly and negotiated through a lot of new science to understand the way land and water use affects the TANK area. At the heart of this work is the TANK Group's commitment to keep rivers running healthily, protect water supply to homes, swimming, fishing, cultural values, crop security, industry and other uses for water. The TANK area is where 85% of Hawke's Bay people live, work, grow food and play.

More new science in 2017 has told us the waterways and aquifer below the Heretaunga Plains are highly inter-connected - like a big bathtub. It might seem a bottomless water resource, but it's really a water TANK flowing above and below ground. The waters of TANK are valued in many ways by the whole community.

When in place, the TANK Plan will give clear direction to consent holders and other water users. It's a challenging balancing act between water use and protection. The rivers and waterways have to come first, but water users should also be able to rely on safe, secure water when they need it.

Will it affect me?

We're not sure what criteria the TANK Plan will include yet. Our conversations with the TANK Group include reference to farm plans, industry clusters, rules to exclude stock or increase planting beside waterways.

What can you do

The whole community has a stake in the outcome of the TANK Plan. There will be opportunities to have your say – both formally and informally.

We're working toward the release of a TANK Plan - for public feedback - by mid-2018. Once released, any person can make a submission on the proposal.

The TANK Plan Change is linked to the Hawke's Bay Land and Water Management Strategy and the Government's 2014 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. Down the track, this catchment-wide approach to managing water and land will lead to Regional Resource Management Plan (RRMP) changes. This video from the Ministry for the Environment tells more about the national Water Quality Policy.