Hawkes Bay Region Water Fund and Hawke's Bay Regional Council have sparked significant controversy. The Hawkes Bay Region Water Fund proposed a plan called "Heretaunga Sustainable Water," aiming to reduce groundwater overuse by limiting water usage in certain areas. In contrast, the Tank Plan supported by Hawke's Bay Regional Council emphasizes practical and rational water usage methods, striving for effective resource management through scientific means.

The primary conflict between the two parties lies in their differing approaches to water resource allocation. The Heretaunga Sustainable Water plan seeks to achieve its goals by restricting water usage in specific regions, while the Tank Plan focuses on more flexible and realistic water usage patterns. This discrepancy has led to intense debates over their respective strategies for managing water resources.

Currently, Hawke's Bay Regional Council has not expressed support for the Heretaunga Sustainable Water plan and plans to evaluate the feasibility of the Tank Plan next year. This conflict extends beyond water resource distribution and may have far-reaching implications for the ecological balance of the region.