The Tasman District Council has confirmed the Waimea Community Dam will now be built, with a vote of 9-5 in favour.

Nelson MP Dr Nick Smith told Larry Williams the decision is a big win for the region, and will help the water quality for the area as well

"This enables us to use the big flood flows in winter, store the water, and then release that into the river, which means the minimum flow into the Waimea river will increase five fold."

The dam will hold water in the Lee Valley from the upper reaches of Waimea River. The dam operator will be able to release water in a controlled way when river flows are low to improve river health and recharge groundwater aquifers.

When asked how it will help horticulture industry, he said many producers were not able to access large amounts of water they needed to produce top quality fruits and vegetables.

"The biggest boysenberry growing area in the world is located in the area, along with apple orchards and hops. These industries cannot survive without water."

Smith is sponsoring a local bill in Parliament that will allow access to the land where the dam will built.

It passed its second reading this week and Smith hoped it would get its third reading before Christmas.

LISTEN ABOVE AS NICK SMITH SPEAKS TO LARRY WILLIAMS