More local authorities are contacting MAF about water strategies that consider the potential for irrigation.

This follows last year’s changes to Community Irrigation Fund , says Loretta Dobbs, MAF’s Community Irrigation Fund project adviser.

Dobbs says while the latest funding round has not seen much interest in terms of actual community water storage projects, that’s not the case when it comes to water strategies.

She says there are currently six local authorities receiving funding from MAF to develop water strategies, which may in the future lead to infrastructure being built.

These local authorities are Environment Waikato, the Whakatane District Council, Gisborne District Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Greater Wellington and Environment Canterbury.

The areas being considered for a water strategy are the Rangitaiki Plains, the Waipaoa River catchment, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Canterbury.

Dobbs says although there has been an upswing in interest from councils, she does not expect others to follow as there are only a limited number of them and not all of them will need a water strategy.

All the strategies investigate water use in their specific catchment and whether communities would benefit from having irrigation schemes coordinated by local government.

Access to the fund was only opened up to local authorities following a meeting between Agriculture Minister David Carter and interested parties in Canterbury.

At the time, Carter said the current ad-hoc approach to water storage infrastructure was not working. He said it required more coordination with central government, local government and communities working together.