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Scoop
11-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Lake Kaniere Septic Tanks Under Scrutiny As Subdivision Grows
West Coast Regional Councillors and iwi uneasy about water quality in Lake Kaniere are relieved it has so far shown no sign of pollution from increasing subdivision nearby. The deep, glacial lake south of Hokitika is the source of the town's water supply. The prospect of contamination from septic tanks was raised earlier this year by the council's Management chair Brett Cummings. And iwi rep Jackie Douglas (Ngati Maahaki; Makaawhio) asked if the council had any reports on Kaniere, given growing development in the area. Council staff who monitor the lake for invasive weeds and for E. coli in the swimming season have reported bacteria levels rising sometimes after heavy rain. But a recent survey carried out at the councillors' request has shown Lake Kaniere is in good health, Environmental Science manager Shanti Morgan told the July meeting of the council's Resource Management committee. 'We identified some areas where we want to do some more intensive sample monitoring to track the influence of increased development around certain parts of the lake. We can provide that to you in the quarterly update. ' Ms Douglas said she had gone out on Lake Kaniere with council staff when they sampled the water at key points and was happy with the results. 'We had a really good look at Hans Bay and Sunny Bight…the science team is able to follow up to ensure we don't see problems in the future or they can be easily identified.' Buller councillor Chris Coll said he was fascinated to hear that the water quality was unaffected. 'What happens if it starts to change? With the town water supply coming from there, if started showing up, how would you reverse it? ' he asked. Cr Cummings said that had been a problem at Punakaiki when run-off from an old septic tank was putting E. coli into the lagoon. 'They traced it back and found out what was going on – it's important to monitor, though Lake Kaniere is a whole lot bigger than Punakaiki lagoon,' he said. Ms Morgan said the council's compliance team could check out any issues with septic tanks but the Westland District Council was also monitoring the water independently, under the (national ) drinking water guidelines. Westland mayor Helen Lash told LDR the council was very much aware of the new subdivision activity in the hills around Lake Kaniere and was considering the potential risks. 'It's causing a bit of angst; more sections are appearing and it has been brought to our notice. Once you have an issue, how do you clean it up? ' The council might have to bring in additional testing, to be sure the water quality was beyond reproach, Mrs Lash said. 'All our water supplies are chlorinated, so there is a safeguard there, but we need to keep a close eye out for possible incremental effects and be sure the new septic systems are all top quality. Though it's more likely any problems would stem from the old ones. ' The Regional Council monitors West Coast lakes along with DOC and Manawa Energy, as part of its obligations under the National Policy Statement on freshwater, using submerged plant life as a health indicator. The surveillance programme detects invasive aquatic weeds but the report tabled this month shows mainly native vegetation in Lake Kaniere, with no signs of deterioration in its ecology.
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Septic tanks under scrutiny as subdivision grows
West Coast Regional Councillors and iwi uneasy about water quality in Lake Kaniere are relieved it has so far shown no sign of pollution from increasing subdivision nearby. The deep, glacial lake south of Hokitika is the source of the town's water supply. The prospect of contamination from septic tanks was raised earlier this year by the council's management chair Brett Cummings. And iwi rep Jackie Douglas (Ngati Maahaki; Makaawhio) asked if the council had any reports on Kaniere, given growing development in the area. Council staff who monitor the lake for invasive weeds and for E. coli in the swimming season have reported bacteria levels rising sometimes after heavy rain. But a recent survey carried out at the councillors' request has shown Lake Kaniere is in good health, Environmental Science manager Shanti Morgan told the July meeting of the council's Resource Management committee. 'We identified some areas where we want to do some more intensive sample monitoring to track the influence of increased development around certain parts of the lake. We can provide that to you in the quarterly update. ' Ms Douglas said she had gone out on Lake Kaniere with council staff when they sampled the water at key points and was happy with the results. 'We had a really good look at Hans Bay and Sunny Bight… the science team is able to follow up to ensure we don't see problems in the future or they can be easily identified.' Buller councillor Chris Coll said he was fascinated to hear that the water quality was unaffected. 'What happens if it starts to change? With the town water supply coming from there, if started showing up, how would you reverse it? ' he asked. Cr Cummings said that had been a problem at Punakaiki when run-off from an old septic tank was putting E. coli into the lagoon. 'They traced it back and found out what was going on – it's important to monitor, though Lake Kaniere is a whole lot bigger than Punakaiki lagoon,' he said. Ms Morgan said the council's compliance team could check out any issues with septic tanks but the Westland District Council was also monitoring the water independently, under the (national) drinking water guidelines. Westland mayor Helen Lash told Local Democracy Reporting the council was very much aware of the new subdivision activity in the hills around Lake Kaniere and was considering the potential risks. 'It's causing a bit of angst; more sections are appearing and it has been brought to our notice. Once you have an issue, how do you clean it up? ' The council might have to bring in additional testing, to be sure the water quality was beyond reproach, Mrs Lash said. 'All our water supplies are chlorinated, so there is a safeguard there, but we need to keep a close eye out for possible incremental effects and be sure the new septic systems are all top quality. Though it's more likely any problems would stem from the old ones. ' The regional council monitors West Coast lakes along with the Department of Conservation and Manawa Energy, as part of its obligations under the National Policy Statement on freshwater, using submerged plant life as a health indicator. The surveillance programme detects invasive aquatic weeds but the report tabled this month shows mainly native vegetation in Lake Kaniere, with no signs of deterioration in its ecology. - By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter
Scoop
09-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Compensation Rules In Regulatory Standards Bill Deemed Unclear
ACT's much-maligned Regulatory Standards Bill could be the answer to Coasters' grievances over limits to the use and development of private land. That's the view of West Coast Regional Council deputy chair, Brett Cummings who cautions at the same time that the Bill has serious fish-hooks that could catch the council out. The Bill could become law later this year if it sustains support from coalition partner National. It proposes that no other law could take, use or impair the use of private property without consent, good justification or fair compensation. That has been welcomed by farmers and others as a way to limit restrictions placed on land by the Council for environmental reasons or compensate the land owners. But Te Uru Kahika, a network of specialist staff from the country's 16 regional and unitary Councils, says it is unclear if the Bill will apply to councils' regulation making, and if so, it has concerns about its workability. 'Parliament and councils would face unquantified costs each time they sought to regulate, rendering the legislative process unworkable,' Te Uru Kahika says in its submission on the Bill. The WCRC's Resource Management Committee chaired by Cr Cummings scrutinised the submission at its meeting this month. Chief executive Darryl Lew confirmed the proposed law was about Government directives such as National Policy Statements that require councils to identify SNAs and other overlays on people's properties. 'What they're saying as a principle, perhaps there should be a compensation package. That's as far as it goes and it's not very definitive from a whole of local government perspective because what does that mean for us and how does that work?' Mr Lew said. WCRC chair Peter Haddock said the Bill aimed to improved legislation and proposed compensating businesses for any potential lost revenue as a result of regulation, which was is a good thing. Cr Cummings said he approved of compensation in principle but was concerned that might backfire on the Council. 'When people are seeking consent to develop land, we start doing ecological reports and so on and while we go through this process, they're losing income from the farm.' The West Coast would be potentially more affected than other regions and the council needed a lot more information, on how the rule would work, Cr Cummings said. 'Say a farmer up the valley wants to clear a bit of bush, and we hold him up (through regulation). Do we have to pay his costs for not having that paddock, and he couldn't graze 15 cows that year? If someone got the right lawyer under the new rules it could get quite embarrassing and quite expensive for us as a council.' Mr Cummings told LDR his concerns were based on a recent case, when a farmer clearing scrub was initially given the green light after a site inspection by experienced WCRC staff. But the decision was over-ruled by the council's senior resource consenting officer who lived in Dunedin. 'He spots a couple of puddles in the photos, decides it could be wetland and calls for an ecological report, and that's now costing the farmer $20,000. Who would pay for that under this new rule? ' The Regulatory Standards Bill has been strongly criticised for its focus on libertarian principles and property rights and Te Uru Kahika's submission echoes some of those concerns. It appears that any 'impairment' of property in the public interest would attract compensation, however well-justified, it says. '..the Bill risks setting an expectation that polluters may be due compensation for any environmental or public health intervention that impacted upon their bottom line. This would, in our view, be perverse. ' Where national regulations were not fit for purpose, the result was often costs for councils charged with implementing them and frustration for local ratepayers, businesses and communities, Te Uru Kahika said. And frequent, rushed changes to legislation meant councils were having to redo work, at the ratepayers' expense. 'The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, for example, has been amended roughly every three years since it was introduced in 2011. It is under review once again. 'Amendments to the Resource Management Act are frequent — it was repealed, and then the replacement legislation was itself repealed for the RMA to be amended again while new replacement legislation is drafted.' The Bill also failed to provide a cohesive and balanced approach to the public interest, Te Uru Kahika said. 'Public interest should encompass both collective value, for instance waterways that are suitable for swimming and intrinsic value, such as biodiversity … 'While individual property and freedoms are fundamental, they are not the only things that communities value.' Te Uru Kahika is also unhappy at the absence of a Treaty clause in the Bill. The WCRC has asked staff to investigate if a representative could speak in support of the Te Uru Kahika submission at the Select Committee hearings on the Bill, now underway at Parliament.
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
MP Maureen Pugh pitches one-stop-shop for mining consents
MP Maureen Pugh wants a local fast-track system to speed up consent processing times. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone West Coast Tasman MP Maureen Pugh has weighed into the campaign to improve waiting times for miners needing resource consents and other permits. Pugh has suggested a local "mini-version" of the government's fast-track system to speed up consent processing times. Resources Minister Shane Jones gave the West Coast Regional Council a strong serve last week, after it closed down a gold mine site that had waited 17-months for a consent. The council also faced criticised from Cr Brett Cummings, a gold miner himself, whose company had been left waiting six months for consent. Pugh says the Minister is justifiably frustrated at the holdups. "This has been going on for far too long. There are guys that have their mining permits and they're paying up to $20,000 a year to NZ Petroleum and Minerals for the right to mine but they can't even get onto the land because the council hasn't sorted their resource consent or DOC hasn't processed their concession." By comparison, a large-scale miner she knew was able to gain approval to mine in New South Wales in Australia within six weeks, she said. "He's got another one in New Guinea - that took twelve weeks," she said. "[He has] one application active in New Zealand and he's been waiting for two years and he still doesn't know how it's going to go. "The delays are not new but they've just got worse and worse, at a time when we desperately need to grow the economy. It's not how to do business well." In her former career as Westland mayor, Mrs Pugh said she had tried to speed up the bureaucracy by delegating district council land-use consents to the Regional Council to process. "I believe that what we need now is a local fast-track system. A mini-version of the government's one-stop-shop, with one office in the region where every agency involved in a mining application is co-located, and has a staffer. All of these permits should be happening concurrently." Pugh said she had proposed her idea to the Minister (Shane Jones) and he was interested in progressing it. "We've simply got to find a new way of doing this and we can't go on having consultants in the North Island dealing with alluvial goldmining consents down here. "They know nothing about the West Coast so of course they're risk averse about everything and their reports reflect that, and there's the constant for further information and they keep sending applications back and asking for more information, and every time their meters are ticking." The miners' continual outgoings were simply paying the wages of bureaucrats and not generating revenue, Pugh said. "It should all be happening concurrently - as it is you're paying to hold your mining license just in case you can overcome all the other. It's enough to make you tear your hair out." The Regional Council is looking at taking on more consents staff and this week began work on new resource consent templates which it says will simplify and speed up the process for alluvial gold miners. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
22-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
West Coast Regional Council chief executive calls for more staff as goldmine delays bite
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew (L) and councillors Allan Birchfield (M) and Brett Cummings (R). Photo: LDR The West Coast Regional Council has conceded it needs to take on more staff, after a raft of complaints about the time it takes to process resource consents, including some from its own councillors. The council's former chair - and alluvial goldminer - Allan Birchfield released letters last week from a company distressed that its fledgling goldmine had been shut down, and its seven workers and capital put at risk, after waiting 17 months for a consent. Council resource management committee chair Brett Cummings - also a veteran goldminer - has set out his concerns in a letter to West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) chief executive Darryl Lew, with a long list of questions about how consents are being dealt with. Both councillors have criticised the council's practice of hiring North Island consultancy firms to process goldmine consents, alleging the planners involved are unfamiliar with the industry, ask for irrelevant information and delay the process by asking what Cummings has called "stupid " questions. In his case, the wait has been seven months for what should have been a straightforward consent on Ngai Tahu forestry land, which the iwi had approved, Cummings said. In reply to the councillor's questions, Lew said the council had received 56 resource consent applications this year, and half of them had been outsourced to consultants in Buller, Greymouth and New Plymouth. Of those 28, two had been approved, 11 were sent back to the applicants because they were "incomplete" and the rest were still being processed, Lew said. "Similar to the WOF process for a car, when deficient applications are returned, applicants are informed of areas that are required to be enhanced and they can then resubmit the applications for processing." Of the remaining 28 being dealt with by council staff, 10 had been approved, one had been sent back for more information within the statutory time limit and 12 had been returned to sender as "incomplete". The rest were still being processed, Lew said. The council's use of consultants has increased, compared to the same period last year, the figures show. Between January and April 2024 , the council received 57 resource consent applications - one was publicly notified, 51 were processed in house and only six outsourced to a consultant. There was little difference in the fees charged to applicants - council staff were charged out at $185 an hour and consultants' hourly rates ranged from $140-192 - all plus GST. There had been only two council consents staff employed in January this year, joined by a trainee in February, and their availability had been reduced by sick leave, annual leave and training time, Lew said. Last year, there had been three officers on the job. "To date, I haven't increased the consents team, however I do believe now is the time. More consents are requiring technical input and we are having more going to hearings, so this is impacting on resourcing, not to mention future demands like the fast track projects." The council would prefer to use its own staff who had local knowledge, Lew said. But it would be impossible to do away entirely with consultants because the volume of consent applications and workload was unpredictable. Consents for alluvial goldmining were much more complex than they were in the early days of the RMA in the 1990s, the chief executive noted. They now had to be assessed against a lengthy list of national policy statements and environmental standards, including Freshwater Management, Indigenous Biodiversity, drinking water, air quality, greenhouse gases, and management of contaminants in soil to protect human health. "We await the government changes to these national instruments and the replacement RMA to see if this becomes simpler ... I agree it would be ideal to have consents and application forms as simple as possible. It is a challenge to have them reflect the law and remain simple." In the meantime, the WCRC consents team was working on new application templates and more guidance for alluvial goldminers, and would bring a paper on this to Council on July or August, Lew said. The council had complicated the process by trying to impose static conditions intended for subdivisions and septic tanks on alluvial mines, Cummings said. "An alluvial site evolves as you work your way through it, so you'll start off with your pumps and your pond, and even your access tracks in one place, and as you move along, you move them along as well, but they're demanding maps and trying to include these all things as fixed conditions on the consent. " Until about a year ago, those details were set out for the council in a separate mine work-programme, which was updated, as the site progressed, Cummings said. "The compliance staff would have that and refer to it, when they did their inspection visits. They didn't try to cram everything into the consent itself - that makes no sense, when you're dealing with a dynamic system. "If you move your pond, you're technically in breach." Hiring more consents staff could help the situation, as long as basic issues were addressed, Cummings said. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
