Latest news with #GreaterWellingtonRegionalCouncil
Scoop
24-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
‘Distressing': Featherston Wastewater Plan Faces Push Back
A long and fraught journey to upgrade Featherston's wastewater treatment plant has reached a significant milestone, with a 10-year consent application now resting in the hands of commissioners. But some Featherston residents remained concerned that 97% of the town's treated wastewater would continue to be discharged into waterways, should the consent be approved. A three-day hearing totalling about 20 hours was adjourned on Wednesday, with further discussions over consent conditions still to take place between South Wairarapa District Council and the consenting authority Greater Wellington Regional Council. Currently, 100% of Featherston's treated wastewater was discharged to Donald's Creek which feeds into Lake Wairarapa. This was seen as 'culturally atrocious' by iwi and continued discharge to waterways was inconsistent with the aims of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. The district council's proposal was to upgrade inlet screens at the treatment plant, improve equipment in the oxidation pond, introduce a new clarification system such as a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) to reduce sediment and contaminants in the wastewater, and a construct a wetland and revegetated area, improving the quality of discharged treated wastewater. The consent would also allow time to trial and implement a discharge to land process using trickle irrigation on up to seven hectares of council-owned land at Hodder Farm. This trial would inform a longer-term consent shifting towards more discharge to land. Commissioners heard from experts representing each council and also submissions from the public, including former South Wairarapa deputy mayor Garrick Emms and Marguerite Tait-Jamieson. The couple said they were 'angry' that $17 million would be spent on wastewater treatment upgrades that would shift just 3% of treated wastewater to land-based disposal by 2032. Emms, and other submitters said the council-owned Hodder Farm, where the trials would be done, had a high groundwater table, was prone to flooding, was unsuitable for long-term discharge of treated wastewater, and potentially unconsentable for wastewater discharge in the future. Documents supporting the consent application said during the trial, treated wastewater would only be discharged to land when the soil was dry enough to do so, which was only for 30% of the year. Emms said commissioners should 'reject the whole thing' and that South Wairarapa District Council should 'go and look for some other land' where higher volumes of treated wastewater could be discharged to instead of land 'in the middle of a floodplain'. 'It's not brain surgery to get out of this and go looking for somewhere better,' Emms said. 'Anything to get wastewater out of Donald's Creek has to be good, but 3% for $17m?' Submitters were also concerned that inflow and infiltration issues would not be addressed within the scope of the consent. Commissioners heard that major wastewater inflow and infiltration issues persisted in Featherston which resulted in an average daily wastewater flow of more than 1500 litres per person per day. Expert witness Oliver Hunt said normal per capita wastewater flows would be 'in the order of 200-250 litres per person per day'. Tait-Jamieson said even if inflow and infiltration issues were fixed, the proposed wastewater solution was 'still not satisfactory' as waterways were still being discharged to. Submitter Claire Bleakley said the amount of treated wastewater that would continue to be discharged to waterways was 'distressing' and would only continue to degrade the 'dying' Lake Wairarapa. She described the 10-year consent proposal as 'a plaster trying to mitigate the worst of the effects'. Earlier in the hearing, South Wairarapa District Council's expert witnesses described the wastewater treatment upgrade proposal as a middle ground the community could afford which would improve environmental impacts while collecting information that would inform the development of a longer-term solution. When wrapping up the hearing on Wednesday, commissioner Mark Ashby said he and his fellow commissioners Logan Brown and Rawiri Faulkner would 'try to do their best by the environment and the community' in making their decision. The Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant has been operating under a historic resource consent since 2012, when the existing consent expired. In 2017, the community pushed back on a previous consent application to progressively move to discharging the town's UV-treated wastewater to land rather than waterways.
Scoop
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
It's In The Ballot Comes To Eastern Bay Of Plenty
A NEW show to help local election candidates get their message out to voters is coming to Whakatāne and Kawerau districts in September. It's in the Ballot is a travelling webshow founded by Wellington-based political commentator Sam Somers, along with co-chair and producer Stacey Ryan. It's in the Ballot has scheduled five days of production to be held in Kawerau, Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, Tāneatua and Murupara in the month before the election. Mr Somers says he plans to create 30 hours of footage of these events. The founder, host and executive producer of the show, he initiated it after his experiences standing for office in the Greater Wellington Regional Council in both 2016 and 2019. Having attended Meet the Candidates meetings organised by various groups, he found it challenging to get his message across to his constituency. With his supporters, along with support from other candidates, he decided that a webshow was the solution, so hosted It's in the Ballot for eight electorates in the General Election in 2020. In 2022, It's in the Ballot Productions, a non-profit organisation, hosted 34 shows in the Wellington Region for the council elections, including having all candidates elected in Hutt City Council (Lower Hutt) and Upper Hutt City Council participate. This year, a new challenge has been set, to expand coverage by holding over 100 events covering 23 councils in Greater Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. The shows are held in local venues and aired live on the It's in the Ballot Website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and their Tiktok page. The format is loosely based on classic New Zealand television series It's in the Bag. Communities are given a chance ahead of the event to submit questions for candidates. Questions are placed in numbered boxes (or 'bags') and each candidate must select a box number and answer the question inside. Each candidate is given two 'butt in' cards which they can play to answer a question selected by another candidate and a 'defer' card, which they can play to defer their question to another candidate of their choice. Candidates also have a chance at the beginning of the show to introduce themselves, much like any other candidate's meeting. Candidates for Whakatāne and Kawerau district councils or Bay of Plenty Regional Council elections can visit to register for the events and the community is invited to submit questions for the candidates. They can also book free tickets to any of the events on the website whether they wish to attend in person or view online. Events for Eastern Bay of Plenty September 9: Edgecumbe War Memorial Hall – Rangitaiki Community Board 3pm, Rangitaiki Māori Ward 4pm, Rangitaiki General Ward 7pm September 10: Tāneatua School and Community Hall (Venue to be confirmed) – Tāneatua Community Board 4pm, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Kōhi Māori constituency 5pm, Eastern Bay constituency at 7pm September 13: Kawerau Town Hall – Kawerau District Council councillors at large 10am, Māori Ward 1pm, General Ward 4pm and Mayoral Debate 7pm September 16: Murupara Area School – Murupara Community Board 4pm, Te Urewera General Ward 5pm, Toi ki Uta Māori Ward 7pm September 18: Whakatāne War Memorial Centre – Kapu to Rangi Māori Ward 1pm, Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board 3pm, Whakatāne-Ōhope General Ward 4pm, Mayoral Debate 7pm
Otago Daily Times
19-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
$25k to make bridge more comfortable for canines
Teddy, a Cavoodle, tries out the new bridge featuring a smooth section for dogs to walk on. PHOTO: SHANON STEVENS / SUPPLIED Paw-friendly panels have been added to a new water pipe bridge in Wellington, making it more comfortable for dogs to walk across. Greater Wellington Regional Council completed the bridge in Kaitoke Regional Park late last year. Nick Leggett, chair of Wellington Water - which manages water pipe bridges for the council - said the bridge formed part of a popular walkway loop, and the park was visited by 350,000 people last year. He said the bridge combined "a critical piece of infrastructure with something that people can use and enjoy". But feedback from the community found the bridge walkway's grate design was both uncomfortable and off-putting to dogs, who disliked being able to see below and needed more grip. Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett with his dog Teddy and Cr Ros Connelly and her dog Cuba. Photo: SHANON STEVENS / SUPPLIED "The feedback was really positive, but it's just that point where you've got [50] percent of the water supply for the Wellington region coming under this bridge but you've also got 350,000 people who use that park, and it's important that both are catered for. "But we can combine critical infrastructure with critical walking infrastructure." Work began in 2022 to replace the existing pipe bridge due to age, leaks and a lack of seismic loading resilience. Leggett said the total budget for the bridge was $41 million and the panels cost $25,000. "Within that wider budget that's pretty small, but it is still significant - and it's significant for the people [who] will get the benefit of walking across the bridge with their dogs." Leggett and his dog Teddy, a black Cavoodle, tested the bridge yesterday along with Greater Wellington regional councillor Ros Connelly and her dog Cuba.
Otago Daily Times
19-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
$25k to make bridge more comfortable for dogs
Teddy, a Cavoodle, tries out the new bridge featuring a smooth section for dogs to walk on. PHOTO: SHANON STEVENS / SUPPLIED Paw-friendly panels have been added to a new water pipe bridge in Wellington, making it more comfortable for dogs to walk across. Greater Wellington Regional Council completed the bridge in Kaitoke Regional Park late last year. Nick Leggett, chair of Wellington Water - which manages water pipe bridges for the council - said the bridge formed part of a popular walkway loop, and the park was visited by 350,000 people last year. He said the bridge combined "a critical piece of infrastructure with something that people can use and enjoy". But feedback from the community found the bridge walkway's grate design was both uncomfortable and off-putting to dogs, who disliked being able to see below and needed more grip. Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett with his dog Teddy and Cr Ros Connelly and her dog Cuba. Photo: SHANON STEVENS / SUPPLIED "The feedback was really positive, but it's just that point where you've got [50] percent of the water supply for the Wellington region coming under this bridge but you've also got 350,000 people who use that park, and it's important that both are catered for. "But we can combine critical infrastructure with critical walking infrastructure." Work began in 2022 to replace the existing pipe bridge due to age, leaks and a lack of seismic loading resilience. Leggett said the total budget for the bridge was $41 million and the panels cost $25,000. "Within that wider budget that's pretty small, but it is still significant - and it's significant for the people [who] will get the benefit of walking across the bridge with their dogs." Leggett and his dog Teddy, a black Cavoodle, tested the bridge yesterday along with Greater Wellington regional councillor Ros Connelly and her dog Cuba.
The Spinoff
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Regulatory Standards Bill hearing, day two: ‘Just good law-making' or ‘Act's ideological fetish'?
Day two of select committee hearings into the Regulatory Standards Bill saw submissions from the Taxpayers' Union, Tania Waikato and the Greater Wellington Regional Council. It was another quiet morning in select committee room four on Tuesday, and for the second consecutive day, no committee members from NZ First showed up to hear oral submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB). One of the first submitters of the day was former district judge David Harvey, who supported the bill, with the argument that every piece of legislation created comes with the 'erosion or some form of interference with the individual or corporate liberty' – the RSB would fix this. The bill is procedural rather than constitutional, Harvey said, meaning any changes made by the bill can be amended, or the bill itself could be repealed (as the Labour Party has already promised to do if it wins next year's election). When it came to questions, Harvey came into verbal blows with Labour MP Deborah Rusell, who informed him 'I have a PhD in political theory' when he asked her if she was familiar with Jean Rousseau. 'There's no need to patronise me,' Russell told him. 'Nothing like a bit of academic jousting on a Tuesday morning,' committee deputy chair Ryan Hamilton chirped. Up next was Rebekah Graham of Parents of Vision Impaired, who submitted against the bill with the concern that the RSB would slap more red tape onto laws which make a 'positive material difference' to the lives of her members. Such as the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008, which includes an exception which allows the creation of materials in accessible formats, like braille, without needing permission – as copyright is intellectual property, Graham worried the bill would prioritise the rights of copyright holders over the rights of blind New Zealanders. The Taxpayers' Union's executive director Jordan Williams and economist Ray Deacon submitted in favour of the bill, which Williams described as 'an encapsulation of what used to be seen as just good lawmaking'. The bill would not compel compliance with its principles nor does it favour a specific ideology, Deacon said – it just provides more transparency around the creation of laws. Asked by Hamilton why there was so much 'misalignment' in positions on the bill, Williams replied: 'Because it's Act. Because it's off the back of a very contentious bill, the Treaty principles bill. It's really that simple … it's been hijacked by a campaign that piggybacks off an early campaign.' Former Act Party MP Donna Huata began her submission against the bill by reflecting on being a founding member of the party, which she believed was formed with the goal to 'fix the gutting of the common good by Rogernomics and undo the social cruelty of Ruth Richardson's brutal austerity agenda', but 'I was deluded and misled, I was wrong'. Since then, New Zealand had become like 19th century Britain, she said, with the rights of polluters graded over the rights of the environment – and this bill would 'take the economic dogma that caused this harm and elevate it into constitutional doctrine'. Rawiri Wright from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna told the committee the bill was 'dismissive' of Māori aspirations. Tamariki in kura kaupapa 'outperform' their peers in mainstream schooling when it comes to NCEA, Wright said, yet the bill gives no consideration to the state-funded obligations to the Treaty nor to the notions of collective government, leaving a question mark over how kura kaupapa will operate in a RSB world. 'I cry at the thought of what could be lost, what could be denied to future generations of tamariki and mokpuna Māori,' Wright said. After the lunch break, BusinessNZ's chief economist John Pask told the committee he supported the bill as it would be 'another tool in the toolbox towards improving the quality of regulation'. Pask suggested the reviews published by the regulatory standards board should be reviewed in an annual select committee process, and that regulatory takings should be considered in property compensation. Lawyer Tania Waikato, who was counsel for the Waitangi Tribunal's urgent review into the bill, said the 'influence and control' the RSB would afford to the regulations minister – and the bill's architect – David Seymour would be 'dangerous'. The information gathering powers granted are 'unjustified', and 'raise significant red flags about the introduction of fascism to this country,' she said. Waikato described the 'escalating security risks' the bill has caused for opponents of the bill. She and another activist had their addresses doxxed by 'right-wing extremists' last week, which has led Waikato to hire a security escort – this, along with Seymour's 'victim of the day' social media posts, shows the minister has 'given implicit support to the actions of these extremists' to target experts speaking out against the bill. Legal scholar Eddie Clark argued that, given legislation should not be designed to interfere with our daily lives, and the ministry of regulation has already deemed it unnecessary, the RSB should not be passed. The bill in its current form will not achieve its purpose, Clark warned, and suggested changing the bill's wording from a 'libertarian understanding' to a 'more generally accepted one'. '$20m for the, funnily enough, enhanced bureaucratic process for something that's supposed to cut bureaucracy, [is instead] creating significant bureaucracy,' Clark said. 'So in terms of the bill's own cost-benefit standards, it's actually not clear that the bill itself meets those.' Academic Tina Ngata, who held a people's select committee on the parliament lawns prior to her submission, spoke against the bill in two submissions. As lead advisor for Maranga Mai Working Group, Ngata first spoke to the 'targeted intimidation' of opponents of the bill intended to 'dissuade the public from participating in democratic practice'. A minister 'willing to weaponise the privilege of his public platform' should not possess the political powers afforded by this bill, she said. In her individual submission, Ngata reflected on her hometown Te Araroa, and how 'Ruthanasia' and other 'neo-liberal reforms' had 'economically gutted' the community. She said given this is the third time the Act Party has tried to pass this bill, the government has an issue with 'denial of consent', which could be compared to 'procedural harassment'. Academic Jane Kelsey, one of the bill's most vocal critics, told the committee members in the coalition government they were 'pandering to Act's ideological fetish' by passing this bill. She was concerned about appointments Seymour will make to the regulatory standards board, and whether these will be 'fellow travellers of Act'. 'Are we really going to accept these unelected ideological partisans are those who should be passing judgement on proposed or existing legislation?' Kelsey asked. Greater Wellington Regional Council's Adrienne Staples, Nigel Corry and Thomas Nash told the committee they opposed the bill, as 'we're not sure what the problem is that you're trying to fix'. The bill will create 'legal risks, economic inefficiency, complexity, increased costs to ratepayers' and, at a time when the government is already 'emasculating' the council's ability to work, trying to introduce this bill is 'very frustrating', Staples said. The team of three said they also represented the interests of local iwi. 'I find that [the bill's] abandonment of [the Treaty] is abhorrent, and rather than working in partnership with our indigenous people, we seem to be trying to walk around them,' Staples said. The finance and expenditure committee will resume oral hearings into the bill today at 8.30am.
