Skip to main content.

Tauranga community meeting

12 October 2005

National Environmental Standards

Drinking water

There is a backflow prevention requirement on drinking water supplies but there is not one when other people use or abstract water (e.g. orchardists). MfE needs to raise this with the Ministry of Health.

Air quality

  • The regional councils need to target the public not industry - the standards are punishing industry through regional councils.
  • There is not enough consultation with industry.
  • There are doubts on the statistics for wood burners. MfE and Ministry of Transport need to work more effectively to target vehicle statistics, as vehicle emissions need to be taken into consideration.
  • The Ministry of Transport’s emission standards are not great. There is scepticism over the different programmes to target vehicle pollution.
  • Vehicle improvements will assist air quality.
  • What guidance is there for councils on monitoring vehicle emissions and air quality? Is air quality data readily available?
  • The Ministry of Transport and MfE need to work together to make standards.
  • We need an integrated management system for air quality control (e.g. Warm Homes Project).
  • The air quality industry is being unfairly punished.

Contaminated land

  • There needs to be a long-term commitment to ensuring the values are updated and that research is conducted to make sure that these values are current and valid in the future.
  • Pentacholorophenol is not included in the contaminated sites standard.
  • There are genetic engineering (GE) contamination issues. Regions know where they are so should they be included on the contaminated sites register.
  • What are the regional councils doing regarding contaminated sites? Sites are being checked by the regional council.
  • Contaminated land guidelines need to consider that auditors have experience and not to be too stringent.

General comments

  • Overall, we are very happy that the National Environmental Standards have come and applaud MfE for introducing them, though much is still needed to ensure a level playing field.
  • Land transport noise is an issue.
  • The discussion of waste standards has been going on far too long. Actual standards need to be set at national level.
  • There needs to be greater consistency from central government in standards, processes and policies as they are too variable at present.
  • Standards are required as soon as possible but they must be able to be implemented (i.e. they must work locally).
  • National Environmental Standards would be good because consultants are consistently submitting on the same provisions in district and regional plans.
  • We do not want the centralisation of standards and provisions but cohesion (e.g. national benchmarks, guidelines and templates). We need to look at other councils and get the ‘best practice’ from the plans.
  • We need urban design and building mechanisms to achieve our aims.
  • We need to consider the pressure of large subdivisions on resources (e.g. water supply, wastewater and solar heating etc.).
  • Older industries need to be regulated.
  • There are problems with performance standards (e.g. leaking buildings).

Resource Management Act

Resource consents

The resource consent process under RMA takes too long.

Environment Court

Concerns were expressed about the role of the Environment Court (should be local decisions).

Capacity building

  • It has been suggested that MfE should be more proactive at engaging with local communities, not just councils and main centres.
  • There are problems with resource shortages at all levels to actually provide the pull through.
  • There is a need for concrete assistance (i.e. best practice guides) for consultation and participation from central government especially in areas of growth (e.g. growth management plan).
  • There is a need for greater understanding of different interest groups.

Iwi

Iwi and tangata whenua need more resourcing and actual assistance if they are to be involved in district plan making.

Policies and plans

  • There is frustration with the slow roll-out of National Policy Statements.
  • There are calls for the appropriate level of funding for the implementation of National Environmental Standards and National Policy Statements. People are worried that central government is transferring the responsibility and costs to local government which then passes this onto individual landowners.
  • How will the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) address coastal hazards?
  • There needs to be more National Policy Statements but funds to go with them.

General comments

  • RMAA05 is good in theory but it cannot be implemented in practice. From a timing point of view it does not appear to be helping as the changes are not speeding up the process.
  • The RMA timeframes are too short.
  • Concerns were expressed about whether the Environmental Legal Aid Fund was an appropriate audit process.
  • Is RMA ‘a gravy train for lawyers’? There are worries about the effectiveness of mediation if lawyers are involved. We would prefer for this to remain informal. We need to get lawyers out of mediation and other Environment Court procedures.
  • The philosophical approach in RMA is focused on negative and adverse effects. There should be less negative focus on the RMA and greater concentration on some of its positive aspects.
  • Is it the council’s responsibility to increase the level of awareness of RMA? In mixed councils it should be. MFE should provide publications as part of its role.

Waste

Waste minimisation

  • Biosolids are composted in Tauranga. Putting biosolids into landfill is seen as pollution and needs direction.
  • What do you do with building waste?
  • Huge amounts of fibres from pulp and paper get dumped, which is a waste.

Recycling, reuse and community

  • The waste from plastic packaging is an issue as it is not reusable. It is contaminated and no one wants it (e.g. shrink wrap). Polystyrene is also an issue and some companies now use cardboard instead.
  • There are issues with plastics that can be recycled.
  • Recycling – we should not discriminate against local industry by propping up substandard products. We should consider the use of landfills to store products (e.g. no. 5 plastic).
  • There is no kerbside recycling in Rotorua.
  • Recycling community trusts are a good innovation.
  • Rubbish disposal is better than 20 years ago. However, recycling is not working for some groups (e.g. children).

Hazardous waste management

  • There is too much confusion regarding hazardous waste.
  • Small councils need help regarding hazardous waste policy work and what appropriate disposal is. Tauranga is big enough for Nuplex or similar to be established here.
  • Stormwater is an issue in Tauranga. Small companies put used oil down stormwater.
  • Where are contaminated soils meant to go? They cannot go to landfill and there are no hazardous waste companies in Tauranga.
  • Onsite waste and wastewater disposal is an issue.
  • What happens to wastewater (2-3m below sea levels) from Papamoa? Where is run off going to go? What sort of an effect will this have on Kaituna River?
  • We need to priorities catchments and implement sediment collectors.
  • We need help from MfE as the border controls are slack and waste comes into port and pollutes the coast (e.g. starfish attach to mussels and kill them).
  • There are concerns about trade waste (e.g. solvent discharges/ stomeoata).

General comments

  • There is a trade-off between food safety and environmental effects (e.g. detergents).
  • We need to look to overseas for ways of dealing with waste.

General topics

Environmental education and information

  • We need to deepen consultation levels (e.g. through training institutions) in order to get information out to the communities.
  • Environment centres are a source of information but competitive nature can be an issue.
  • MfE needs to assist local government and provide education etc.
  • We need to go into schools to make changes in behaviour, as behaviour change starts at an early age with children.
  • Awards need more profiling (e.g. Sustainable Business Network).
  • Voluntary groups need to be informed about issues in the environment and the Ministry and have the ability to comment on them.
  • We need an information broker who co-ordinates big issues (e.g. research and good science) and consent applications.
  • The ‘Making Good Decisions’ course was well run with good facilitators and well thought out. Is the course open to non-council people? (e.g. volunteer groups and health sector)? More training would be beneficial to these groups.
  • There needs to be more guidance for decision makers and practitioners (e.g. the ‘Making Good Decisions’ course).
  • There is a need for integration and training on lots of related legislation (Local Government Act, RMA, Local Transport Act etc.)
  • People have a right to know about Genetic Engineering (GE).
  • Environmental reporting at Environment BOP (Bay of Plenty) was good.
  • Is MfE (in its monitoring and review role) going to report in a public sense?
  • MfE needs to influence training with universities (and not just RMA for practitioners).
  • The training focus should not be based so much on process. There is a link between policy and putting it into practice.

Council processes

  • How does enforcement work? This is a priority especially as policies and standards develop. Councils need to enforce the ones that we have (e.g. covenants on bush).
  • People do not know district plan rules. The council process of identification of affected parties is possibly an issue.
  • Communication helps with compliance due to community responsibility.
  • What is the council’s role in managing protected land?
  • Councils need to consult effectively over protected land.
  • Private plan changes are taking over green spaces. How do you make council plans more transparent with process? Who speaks for the green spaces?
  • Councils need to go out into the community and talk to the public as consultation is important. Councils need to connect with the right people to get the right views.
  • There are questions over whether MfE oversees regional council work.
  • There are concerns over poor performance of councils around the country and the lack of accountability.

Biodiversity

There are worries about the inconsistency between councils regarding the protection of indigenous biodiversity. Who should pay for environmental protection? It has been suggested that it should be community responsibility and not cost to the individual landowners.

Coastal issues

Demand for coastal development and liability for coastal hazards is a big issue for the Bay of Plenty. Central government guidance is needed.

Water

  • Groundwater standards and protection is an issue here (e.g. Rotorua Lakes).
  • Kawerau Mill should take water from below output as it is not harmful. This is a council issue.
  • What is MfE’s view on the Matata Lagoon restoration? MfE focus is on flood risk management and keeping people out of harms way.

Iwi

  • We need to address iwi issues, i.e. boundaries are not respected by local government (e.g. boundary changes). We need to look for new and better ways to educate people in Maoritanga. Education on iwi issues and beliefs is required.
  • Iwi authorities are a constant group, but developing relationships with council is difficult as council staff constantly changing. They need continuity and staff training to keep constant relationships.
  • There is a need for more information to be given to iwi and more input allowed (e.g. on RMA).

General comments

  • We need opportunities for non statutory consultation.
  • How can funding from the Ministry be accessed? (E.g. Sustainable Development Fund).
  • Co-ordination between central government on Acts is good and between councils.
  • There are issues and challenges in growth areas regarding the sustainability of traffic on state highways (i.e. maintaining the level of service and traffic amounts).
  • Is there a cap on geothermal development? This area is covered by Ministry of Economic Development energy policy.
  • The government and MfE make so many changes and the community does not know about them.

Last updated: 17 September 2007