MHV Water delivers water for the purpose of irrigation and manages the Environmental Compliance for over 56 000 hectares of farmland in Mid-Canterbury between the Ashburton and Rangitata rivers.

MHV delivers water to farmers who use it for growing grass for stock as well as growing crops such as grain, wheat, barley, maize, seed, and much more.

MHV Water is a farmer co-operative whereby the farmers collectively own the infrastructure and MHV Water staff are tasked with managing the infrastructure which delivers water across the district.

MHV draws water from the Rangitata Diversion Race and delivers it to farmer shareholders via around 320km of open race and approximately 100km of piped infrastructure.

Rangitata Diversion Race Management (RDRML), a company of which we are a Shareholder, holds the consent and manages the water takes for both the Rangitata and Ashburton Rivers.

The irrigation season is from the 10th of September until the 9th of May each year. During winter, and in summer when not all the irrigation take is being utilised on farm, the water is used for hydrogeneration.

Collective Environmental Management is important and not new to our farmers. They decided that we would achieve the best outcomes if we worked together, and we have been evolving our Farm Environmental Planning for over seven years.

MHV water works closely with mana whenua and is continually looking at how we can incorporate mātauranga Māori in our practices and farmers are taking up the challenge to continuously improve their on-farm practices.

MHV Water has been operating since 1947 and in 2017 Mayfield Hinds Irrigation Limited merged with Valetta Irrigation Limited to create MHV Water. 

• MHV 2020 Groundwater Report 
• Summary of Facing our Future - N reduction tradeshow