A rural council in Hawke's Bay has agreed to relieve the financial stress of a controversial group that owns the rights to a failed dam project.
In 2018, a plan to build the Ruataniwha dam was blocked by the Supreme Court.
Forest and Bird claim the new council money could put the dam back on the table but the Central Hawke's Bay mayor says it's more about keeping options open.
RNZ's Tom Kitchin filed this report.
