Three new irrigation storage reservoirs in New Zealand's Northland region are filling with water, with the focus now shifting to pipeline construction, water distribution, and share allocation within the operating water companies.
Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust has completed five years of planning, consenting, and construction oversight, supported by more than NZ$100 million (about US$60 million) in capital expenditure. Funding has come from central and local government loans, alongside initial private equity contributions.
"Now we concentrate on reticulation, commercialisation and repayment," said trust chair Murray McCully.
The three reservoirs are Matawii near Kaikohe with a capacity of 750,000 cubic metres, Te Waihekeora south of Dargaville with 3.3 million cubic metres, and Otawere at Waimate North with 4 million cubic metres. Construction at Otawere has been completed, and self-filling has begun, with 30-year water take consents from the Waitangi River and Waiaruheiti Stream available as backup.
Several horticultural developments are already linked to the schemes. Marsden Farm plans up to 100 hectares of covered kiwifruit vines and citrus plantings near Otawere, supported by irrigation access. Another foundation investor in the Mid-North Water Company is Tupu Tonu, the Ngāpuhi investment fund.
Land use change toward horticulture and early investment by local iwi are emerging as key trends. At Matawii, Ngāpuhi is the largest water user at Ngāwhā, with 3 hectares of hydroponic strawberries in production and a planned 7 hectares of blueberries managed by T&G Fresh. Near Te Kopuru, Te Uri O Hau has planted 6,500 avocado trees at Red Hill, irrigated from Te Waihekeora.
Lynwood Avocado Nursery in Whangārei has also established an orchard with up to 30 canopy hectares, planting 18,000 trees at a density of 600 trees per hectare with fertigation systems.
Pipeline infrastructure is now being advanced. Government approval has been granted for a 22-kilometre pipeline from Te Waihekeora to Dargaville and Silver Fern Farms. A similar pipeline is planned to link Otawere and Matawii, improving supply flexibility across the Mid-North. Both networks are intended to allow water transfer between schemes as demand shifts, while also supporting municipal water supply for Kaikohe and Dargaville.
Water users purchase shares priced at NZ$30,000 (about US$18,000) for an annual entitlement of 3,000 cubic metres, with a daily allocation of 30 cubic metres, considered sufficient for one hectare of orchard development.
The combined command area of the Kaipara and Mid-North schemes exceeds 3,000 hectares. Te Tai Tokerau Water expects further on-farm storage development once full reticulation is completed.
Source: FarmersWeekly
