A massive $400 million scheme to irrigate vast tracts of Canterbury farmland has been given a strong signal that it won't go ahead.
In an unusual step, the commissioners of the Central Plains Water hearing have indicated they will be declining large parts of the application, and are allowing Central Plains time to rethink their proposal.
It is a scheme that would have provided irrigation for massive swathes of mid Canterbury, but now after a seven-month hearing into the Central Plains water proposal, a crucial dam and reservoir planned for the Wainiwaniwa valley is set to be declined.
"The work we've done over the last nine years showed that it was feasible and affordable," says a disappointed Doug Catherwood, Central Plains Water.
While shareholders are shocked, its opponents are ecstatic.
"Oh huge relief mate, huge relief," says Collin Morris, Coalgate resident. "We've been fighting this thing for eight years."
"When we heard yesterday we did a little bit of jumping around, lots of hugging," says Liz Weir.
The ambitious scheme had proposed taking 40 cubic metres of water a second from the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers.
Sixty thousand hectares of land, an area the size of Lake Taupo, would have been irrigated, with a six-kilometre-long reservoir holding almost 300 billion litres of water in the hills above Coalgate and Glentunnel.
Although the valley and the homes in it now look to be spared, Central Plains can still apply to extract water for irrigation.
But it could still see a water race built along these hillsides, so for some landowners, the fight is not over.
"Well because our lives will be on hold again, they've already been on hold for eight long years," says Gillie Deans, scheme opponent.
Central Plains Water now have five weeks to amend their application. Its opponents are vowing to fight to the bitter end.
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