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Gisborne community meeting

13 October 2005

National Environmental Standards

Contaminated land

  • Contaminated sites are not treated (i.e. cleaned up). It is horrible. It is unreasonable that local standards cannot be higher than the national standards.
  • There should be National Environmental Standards to say councils can remediate contaminated land by force. MfE should make the Contaminated Land Remediation Fund more accessible to private land owners to encourage them to clean up.
  • Sheep dips in agricultural areas would not be a problem. However, MfE will be causing a huge problem that could be expensive for farmers and councils to clean up (if sheep dip guidelines forced them to clean up).
  • There is no proper remediation plan for gas works sites. $1 million for remediation is too little. The government has liability that is not addressed in the RMA.

Drinking water

  • We need a sustainable solution to clean up water, sites and bay that is acceptable for the community, but we also need government input as there is no point getting the council (who do not have enough funding) to do the work.
  • There needs to be more funding to help poorer communities rather than just funding for emergency cases.
  • Subsidies do not work - they need up front funding for long term operation and building.
  • New Zealand’s use of the Australian standards for water is bad as a basis because the minimum health acceptable levels are a contradiction to environmental standards (i.e. they are too relaxed). Another process is necessary.
  • The process for developing standards is slow. The dairying industry is having a big impact on water quality. There has been a suggestion for new standards regarding the fencing of rivers.

Air quality

Incinerators in school are not a smart regulation.

General comments

  • There is not enough funding for regional councils to meet the standards.
  • There are concerns as to how much input Maori have in the standards set at MfE. If Māori were met on the marae there would be more interest in environmental issues.
  • The Biosolids National Environmental Standards are going to be introduced. What is the beneficial use of biosolids? Gisborne are using biosolids in cleanfill. Is that beneficial? We need a clearer definition of beneficial use.

Resource Management Act

Capacity building

The local plan is making progress. Resource management practices need more central government guidance and need all groups in the area to be involved in the process in the early stages.

Iwi

  • How will section 6e changes to the RMA (i.e. duty to consult) affect Māori?
  • There are concerns that RMAA05 will mean less consultation with tangata whenua.

Policies and plans

There are concerns about how the National Policy Statement on biodiversity has changed into a strategy on indigenous vegetation. Why have animals been taken out? There are concerns that the National Policy Statement will be interpreted to suggest that indigenous vegetation is the only significant biodiversity issue. If you cannot address the biodiversity issue (s6c) in full then should it be addressed at all? It is not clear what is going on behind these changes.

General comments

  • More people know about the negative impacts of the RMA rather than the positive. We need to educate the community on the positive impacts of the RMA.
  • The RMA works for big business but not for individuals. The RMA has ‘lots of bark but no teeth’. What is the use of RMA if nothing happens?
  • What could be a matter of national significance apart from energy? Coastal development may be a matter of national significance. The Wainui coastal strategy is a useful tool for dealing with coastal development application. Councils and the Department of Conservation need to come together to have a unified response to coastal development and areas of indigenous vegetation.
  • Climate change will have an affect on the long term plan and will change the landscape.

Waste

Waste minimisation

Waste is already being reduced (in relation to the waste strategy targets) but will be penalised as 2005 is the benchmark against which future performance will be measured.

Recycling, reuse and community

  • In Mahia 300 houses are expected to be built. Currently waste and recycling goes to Wairoa. Maybe we could set up a transfer station in Mahia, reduce transport costs and provide jobs for Mahia people. Funding and help will be required to set up the transfer station.
  • Gisborne wants to set up a community wastewater system. They tend to always be put on Māori land which is unfair. The area has wetlands and needs to be protected and made a reserve. There are concerns that when Mahia expands poorer families will be pushed out. Neighbours have allowed land to be used for a wastewater system. Concerns will be presented in resource consents as neighbours and as members of hapu.

Product stewardship

  • We need legislation for product stewardship.
  • Product stewardship should go all the way to the source not just in New Zealand but all manufacturers across the world to international suppliers (e.g. China). The change in ethics, morals, responsibilities and attitudes will be a slow process.
  • Product stewardship is an empty shell for some companies. We need to reflect pollution in the price and get overseas companies to pay money up front, ‘an environmental bond’.
  • There is concern from consumers about sustainability. We should work towards a standard, an ‘environmental choice’ certification. There are certification schemes but they are not government led. The non mandatory approach does not work. It needs government intervention.
  • Life cycle analysis should include everything. ‘Polluter pays’ means that eco friendly products can be cheaper. The government should be leading this issue.

Education and information

  • What is going on with litter? A national campaign is needed.
  • What is happening with waste education? The Gisborne District Council does not go to Mahia.
  • We need to tackle public perceptions of what biosolids are and what they are used for.

General comments

  • The place is growing but the infrastructure is not there to cope (e.g. there is no wastewater treatment plant or waste disposal unit).
  • What is happening with landfill levies? Landfill price is an issue. Costs have not increased so why have landfill charges increased? They have increased because of true cost charging. We need to be educated on why costs are high. Landfill prices need to be controlled otherwise companies can just keep putting prices up. We need structure to price increases.
  • The change in company law means that share holders should be liable. The government has loosened its control.
  • There are concerns on the export of hazardous waste.
  • The wastewater issue in Gisborne is under funded.
  • The sewage scheme is subsidised on the basis of health but should it be extended to the environment. There needs to be more money for small communities for extending subsidy for sewage.
  • Gisborne is very backwards with regards to sewage and water contamination. It does not treat waste before it goes to sea.

General topics

Environmental education and information

  • There needs to be more public awareness as there is a lack of understanding about the impact people have on the environment. We need to have a system and funding to increase awareness.
  • We need resource information to educate children.

Iwi

  • How can central government come to a resolution of the tikanga issues (e.g. sewage discharge and management) faced by the council? The council is at loggerheads with iwi. Iwi want sewage discharge through land. However, the council’s technical advisers say that it is not possible. This is a funding issue. The council needs more money to resolve it. National Environmental Standards on sewage could also be useful.
  • Tikanga Māori is very difficult to get into mainstream environmental management processes as there is too much reliance on scientific measures.

Biodiversity

  • At the moment biodiversity management is managed but more support is needed from central government. The whole issue of getting sufficient protection for regenerating bush (with increasing biodiversity value) is highly political and problematic. The local area is largely devoid of vegetation so there is little protection of biodiversity. However, there is no protection of currently low value vegetation which is regenerating to a higher future value.
  • Biodiversity management is complicated by Māori landownership issues (i.e. issues of potentially restricting Māoris for capitalising the value of their land from developing it through clearing and regenerating bush).
  • There is a shortage of funding from the biodiversity fund.
  • There are a number of issues surrounding converted areas of land.
  • Queen Elizabeth II covenants are not trusted because of the strict requirements. There are issues over the different owners around the lagoon and difficulties over collective.

General comments

  • MFE codes are voluntary but they need ‘stick’ to. There must be money to make it happen.
  • Forestry is not progressing around Gisborne. There is too little indigenous vegetation and a loss of forest covers. Forest management is needed. A variation on standards for the planning and regulation of forestry should be implemented.
  • There has been increased debate over reproduction, population and consumer behaviour. There is a role for government in this.
  • There is a general lack of consultation around issues.
  • There is a lack of control to manage the effects of land use (e.g. Wherowhero Lagoon).
  • Questions have been raised about when riparian margins were legalised. Is there an accord?
  • There is a lack of resourcing (e.g. for growing seedling for riparian). Is there support from the council?
  • Is the Minister aware of local issues?
  • We need to ask for central government resourcing for the recent warehouse case which the council lost due to not having sufficient resources.
  • Is the Minister aware of local issues?
  • We would like to see people down in their areas helping to develop ways to move forwards. It is difficult to get funding for initiatives.
  • New organisms coming into the country are a great concern. We need to control this biosecurity issue as our agricultural base must be protected.
  • We lack pro-activeness for energy efficiency. We need to have legislation that does not stop activities but encourages energy efficiency. We can use Gisborne as a case study for smart urban design energy efficiency (e.g. solar energy in Gisborne rather than move electricity generation).
  • There is too much legislation and no solutions to sort out the problems. We need to have energy recovery focus.

Last updated: 17 September 2007