A campaigner fears irrigation consents will be rushed through before an order to protect one of the country’s clearest freshwater springs is complete.
The process to protect the aquifer that feeds Te Waikoropupū Springs in Golden Bay with a Water Conservation Order (WCO) is under way.
However, a campaigner for Save Our Springs, Kevin Moran, said he was worried the Tasman District Council (TDC) was planning to grant water consents to dairy farmers before the order was complete.
The TDC has said that Moran’s claims are unfounded and it only had only received one consent application, which had been placed on hold.
