Protestors gave voice to their displeasure over the Waimea Community Dam and associated rate increases last week.
Over 100 people positioned themselves outside the Tasman District Council’s offices on Queen Street, Richmond, early Thursday morning, armed with placards and megaphones to express their concerns.
“There needs to be an inquiry into this fiasco,” says protestor, Brent Steven.
The protest is in answer to the latest increase in the cost of the dam and the associated need for an independent inquiry into those costs.
The total cost of the dam now sits at $158.4m – more than double the estimate of $75.9 that went out for public consultation in 2017.
“I’m tired of the Council giving out false information and falsifying legislation,” says protestor Nick Hughes.
Spokesmen for the protest touched on the need for an inquiry into the failings of the dam.
“You have failed us miserably,” says protestor spokesman Richard Johns, going on to urge the elected members to reflect on what costs they had saddled the ratepayers with. Councillor Dean McNamara made a call last month for an investigation into the project. This progressed when a majority of councillors backed a resolution for staff to report back on the option of an independent inquiry, including the potential scope and costs of such an investigation.