Media Release

12 December 2016

Joint Media Release from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Hastings District Council

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council today agreed to withdraw the prosecution of Hastings District Council for a breach of condition 21 of Brookvale bores 1 and 2 consents and to consider issuing infringement notices for the same.

HDC agrees that it will not contest any decision by HBRC to issue infringement notices for breach of condition 21 of the Resource Consent to take and use water from the Brookvale bores 1 and 2.

HBRC and HDC agree that:

1. The infringement notices relate to the condition of the bore heads in respect of condition 21 of the Resource Consent to take and use water from the Brookvale Road bores, not the water contamination.

2. Neither the withdrawal of the prosecution proceedings nor the non-contesting of the infringement notices either indicate or rule out any cause of the water contamination.

3. Issues of causation with respect to the water contamination are for the Government Inquiry to determine.

HBRC and HDC look forward to assisting the Government Inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination event. Both organisations agree that the most important factor in the public interest is to determine the cause of the contamination, and to ensure there is no repeat of what happened in August 2016, which affected so many people.

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