Regional Council Declines Aramoana Woolshed Purchase

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has decided that it will not purchase the Aramoana woolshed property or adjacent coastal land in Central Hawke’s Bay.
The project has been carefully considered by Regional Councillors over the past eighteen months, but they have decided against the purchase at this stage.
The purchase of the woolshed property was originally proposed so that it could form an education centre associated with the nearby Te Angiangi Marine Reserve and Ouepoto Reserve.
One of the Council’s strategic goals is to purchase open space areas around Hawke’s Bay for the enjoyment of the public. Properties that improve public access to the coastline are of particular interest to council, especially where such purchases have strong support from the territorial local authority, in the this case Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, and the community.
The Regional Council did not believe the purchase of the woolshed had strong support from either the district council or the community, and have therefore decided not to purchase the property.
CHB District Council has advised that it would prefer support for the Waipawa Town Hall upgrade and this will be considered by the Regional Council later this year.
Regional Council Chairman, Alan Dick, said that the decision to not support the Aramoana project should not be seen as a lack of interest in Central Hawke’s Bay.
“We are currently working with CHB District Council on two major projects including the feasibility of large scale water storage which could see significant regional council financial investment in the district.”
Council also considered the possible purchase of approx 40 hectares of coastal land immediately south of the woolshed property and bordering the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve. If this land had been purchased, it would have been allowed to revert to indigenous vegetation, with some additional planting to assist the reversion process.

For further information please contact:

Alan Dick, Chairman, ph 06 835 9207, 027 224 0012

Mike Adye, Group Manager Asset Management, ph 06 835 9203

Susan Wylie, Communications Coordinator, ph: 06 835 9208