The Government is lending 18 million dollars to the backers of a major water storage project in Central Hawke's Bay, reviving a concept that has been decades in the making. Associate Minister for Regional Development Mark Patterson announced the loan from the regional infrastructure fund today, which will fund engineering, environmental and commercial work to determine if the project is truly viable. The proposed dam sits on the same footprint as the long-controversial Ruataniwha Dam, first mooted 13 years ago and abandoned in 2018 following a Supreme Court ruling over protected conservation land. Project chairman Mike Petersen says the region faces a freshwater shortfall of nearly 25 million cubic metres by 2040, and water scarcity is already holding back investment and growth. If built, the dam is projected to create up to 18-hundred permanent jobs and lift Hawke's Bay's GDP by as much as 693 million dollars. A final investment decision is expected in 2028. Associate Minister for Regional Development Mark Patterson will join Sarah and Andy shortly on CountryWide Connect for more on this story. ================================================================= New Zealand's red meat processing season has got off to a slower-than-usual start, with farmers holding stock longer to capitalise on strong grass growth over summer. Total beef kills were running more than twelve percent behind last season at the start of March, with lamb down six percent — though processors say that is now changing fast. Both Alliance Group and Silver Fern Farms report volumes are building steadily, with plants at or near full capacity. Silver Fern Farms CEO Dan Boulton says beef numbers were down eighteen percent and lamb down twelve in the first quarter, but says the national kill is forecast to be up on last year and stock is now coming forward quickly. Farmgate prices remain strong, underpinned by global supply shortages, with average lamb forecast to reach ten dollars twenty-eight per kilogram carcass weight this season. The main headache for processors is shipping, with the Middle East conflict disrupting global supply chains, pushing up freight costs and creating congestion through key transhipment hubs. ===================================================================== New Zealand's fuel supply remains stable, with the Government confirming there are no current concerns about diesel and petrol flowing into the country. While land-based diesel sits at 17.5 days, a further 8 days worth is already on the water within our waters, with an additional 25 days worth on its way — putting total diesel supply in a comfortable position. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says fuel importers are reporting ships are leaving normally, orders are being fulfilled, and no material disruptions to future shipments have been flagged. Willis says New Zealand remains in phase one of its fuel response plan, and the Government has taken the precautionary step of securing additional storage at Marsden Point to build an even greater buffer. The Government is publishing twice-weekly fuel stock updates, with the next expected tomorrow afternoon. ==================================================================== Farmers across the upper North Island are being urged to prepare now, as Cyclone Vaianu tracks directly toward Northland and Auckland this weekend. The storm is currently category two but is expected to strengthen further before landfall, bringing strong winds, large swells and heavy rain to an already saturated landscape. Meanwhile heavy rain warnings and watches in place across several regions this afternoon are not part of the approaching cyclone. Northland carries an orange heavy rain warning with up to 120 millimetres expected, alongside a strong wind watch. Auckland north of Papakura and the Coromandel Peninsula are under heavy rain watches from now, with the Bay of Plenty west of Whakatāne under watch later this afternoon, and Tasman can expect heavy rain from this evening. Our weather man Tony Trewinard will have more on this later in the hour on CountryWide Connect. And that's the latest news. —------------
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