This would be sufficient to service up to approximately 1,700ha of new horticultural land in the area. Shares have already been sold to various parties who wish to take up the opportunity the planned scheme will provide.
Matawii Reservoir site prior to earthworks commencing.
Work is nearing completion on the Matawii Water storage reservoir, a 750,000m3 reservoir situated north-east of Kaikohe off SH2, by MAP Projects of Tauranga. Matawii was the first project nationally to be granted consent under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track consenting) ACT 2020 and is the first to be developed by the Trust as part of the larger Mid North scheme.
The Ecological Team with Trustee Hon. Dover Samuels (second to left) following freshwater fauna relocations of the Kopenui Stream.
A major milestone was reached at the end of January when the Kopenui Stream was diverted through a series of culverts. Ecological work took place in preparation for diverting the stream which included catching and translocating fish and other freshwater species to an area downstream of the culverts. Once the stream was diverted, work began on sealing the dam floor which involved drilling beneath the main dam face and injecting concrete (grouting) into the ground to reduce leakage. Work then focussed on the placing and compacting of earth fill on the reservoir floor and creating a spillway which allows water to leave the reservoir in a controlled manner when it is too full to store it. It is hoped that Matawii will be operational by summer 2022/23.
Matawii will be able to provide water to the under-construction Ngawha Innovation and Enterprise Park and other surrounding horticultural ventures. It will also provide a backup supply to Kaikohe in times of water shortages.
Resource consent to build the four million m³ Otawere reservoir was lodged at the end of last year with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be evaluated under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track consenting) Act 2020 and the Trust recently received confirmation that approval has been granted. Further work is now being done on the feasibility and construction strategies for this site.
Indicative image of the proposed Otawere reservoir.
