The Mayor of Auckland wants the government to fast-track a bid to more than double the city's daily water grab from the Waikato River.
Phil Goff has asked the Environment Select Committee to have a hearing on the resource consent application and include the project in the Covid-19 Recovery Bill lineup.
Waikato-Tainui iwi and the Waikato River Authority have both condemned the move, saying the crisis has nothing to do with Covid-19.
The original consent was made in 2013 and remains 106th in the queue.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told our environment reporter Rachel Thomas the region is facing a major drought and it can't wait any longer.