The large scale upgrade of the Ngāi Tahu Farming water canals at Te Whenua Hou has been completed and with water flow now tripled, Ngāi Tahu Farming now has the capability to supply peak flow water demand to over 5,800 hectares of irrigated farm land. Glen Clayton, General Manager Farm Development says timing for the redevelopment was crucial so the project was split into two stages, beginning in May-June 2015. “We always knew there would be a need to upgrade the canals, it was just a matter of timing it correctly to fit with our development,” he says. “We wanted to avoid the worst of the winter weather but we also had to have the job completed by late September to fit in with our irrigation season. That was the biggest challenge.” From the beginning of the development, water sourced from the Waimakariri River at the Browns Rock intake was … Continue reading Canal upgrades complete