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Hastings community meeting

14 October 2005

National Environmental Standards

Drinking water

  • New Zealand should test for emergency contaminants in drinking water.
  • MfE should do the Drinking Water National Environmental Standards as fast as possible as water suppliers are currently developing public health risk management plans and have little mandate to look at catchment activities.

Contaminated land

MfE should set contaminated land numbers to protect the environment, not people.

Air quality

  • Feel that rate payers are bearing the costs of Air Quality National Environmental standards.
  • We need a policy and incentives from the government to help get people to meet the standards and make people move and improve air quality. More money needs to be put into research.
  • We need central government leadership on more efficient wood burners and high efficient heating options.
  • We need research, funding and low interest or interest free loans to help the poor and old.
  • Industry feels that the standards are unfairly penalising them and their activities.

General comments

Biosolids are an issue to consider. Application to land is not currently acceptable.

Resource Management Act

General comments

  • There are concerns about the RMA being vulnerable to political party agendas.
  • In my experience farmers are terrified by the RMA as the last review did not consider their interests.
  • The RMA is very important and underpins all decisions we make. We cannot have a laissez-faire approach.
  • The RMA used to be focused on the environment but now the economic component seems to be the driving force.
  • Central government needs to undertake and support more research into positive innovative initiatives rather than more regulations.
  • There are inconsistencies in the quality of the decision making process and outcomes under RMA (not with the Act itself). 5 years to review the regional plan is too long.
  • The review was driven by the perception that RMA is hindered by delays and suggestion that this is not true. It is a myth that the RMA causes delays. Delays at council are often related to the inadequacy of applications, rather than council processes. The quality of applications needs to be improved.
  • People should be educated about the RMA. They would like more information about changes to the RMA and their implications.
  • There is disappointment with the Select Committees process. Only two members of the Select Committee were engaged on this issue.
  • A planner has suggested that National Environmental Standards may be helpful for officers as they provide more certainty and therefore speed processes and decisions up.

Waste

Recycling, reuse and community

  • Is there a way of ensuring that waste contractors are recycling waste?
  • There is a perception in New Zealand that recycling is free but there is a lot of investment in infrastructure costs.
  • There needs to be clearer disposal facilities (e.g. for batteries that are presently disposed in landfill sites).
  • Not much progress is being made in the reduction of waste (e.g. polystyrene, plastics, resins, plastic bags and other oil derivatives).
  • Green bins need to be smaller to reduce the amount of rubbish.
  • The price of taking rubbish to the landfill is too high therefore people might not want to dispose of their rubbish.
  • There is a problem with the amount of junk mail received in the area.

Education and information

  • MFE could educate people about their waste and this would reduce the costs of recyclers.
  • Educational material needs to be put together on what people are doing well.
  • There needs to be more signage as people are not clear where to take recyclables. Could recycling bins be available at supermarkets?
  • The issue of water and where it goes is not understood. Wastewater goes into water ways and pollutes water. Flow into stormwater needs to be controlled at the source. Can signs be put up around drains to show the message? Water is seen as free so we need more work on trade waste by-laws.
  • We need to use educational programmes at schools and for the public to increase awareness (bottom up) but there also needs to be financial incentives for industries to improve environmental sustainability (top down). For example, families do not understand the reasons for recycling and industries get away with producing lots of unnecessary waste. Both a top down and bottom up approach needs to be facilitated by the government.
  • There needs to be more education about recycling for the general public and younger people.

Product stewardship

  • The Packaging Accord and the New Zealand Waste strategy set targets. How do companies find a balance between market demands and increasing sustainability? How can targets be met if it is difficult to find suitable waste streams? If the targets are provided the means of fulfilling them also need to be provided.
  • There are issues with product stewardship in Hawkes Bay. Retailers should be collection points for products especially spray containers and silage wrap.
  • We need more standards for packaging.
  • Producers need to have extended responsibility (e.g. levies or mandatory).
  • There have been suggestions around standards for packaging (e.g. agchemical retailers, silage wrap and sheep drenches).
  • Plastic bags are a big issue in supermarkets. We need to increase awareness with supermarkets and consumers.
  • Industries are more accountable for polluting. Independent monitoring is needed without imposing huge compliance costs.

General comments

  • Commercial work has increased in Hawkes Bay though domestic work has remained stable. Construction and demolition waste is the main problem, particularly bitumen waste. Road cones are also an issue once they get to be unusable.
  • In industry, larger companies have more pressures appearing on the radar hence they are becoming good corporate citizens whereas the combined effect of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s) poses an equal threat to the environment. Greater efforts are required in this area on cleaner production.
  • Decisions by government need to be made attractive economically to shift environmental responsibility. Incentives are needed.
  • There is a gap in MfE’s strategies addressing production and reduction of waste in association with global warming. Waste going to landfill aids global warning. A link between waste and climate change needs to be created.
  • There needs to be regulation of waste (e.g. container deposit legislation is needed).
  • There are concerns about the fate of agrichemicals in the environment.

General topics

Environmental education and information

  • There needs to be more education on environmental issues. What can MfE do? It can place incentives and disincentives to encourage responsibility. Though peer group pressure can often be more effective and co-operation and best practice.
  • We need to focus on positive approaches and effective practices (i.e. in horticulture and dairying).
  • The way MfE funds environmental education is not sustainable. Funding for the Environmental Education Centre here comes out of the yearly contested funds from MfE. Funding needs to be stable because if the money runs out all educational facilities will falter and people will lose their jobs, all for nothing.
  • There needs to be more profiling of the good work done for sustaining, protecting and enhancing the environment (i.e. green ribbon awards).
  • A list of resources should be made available for sustainable projects.

Council processes

People feel that councils do not listen to them because they do not do anything with feedback. People put a lot of time and effort into submissions but get no response, especially individuals and small organisations.

Water

  • There is an issue with the removal of trees for the irrigation of grapes.
  • Water quantity needs to be controlled (e.g. we need to draw off water for irrigation upstream).
  • Water quality needs to be monitored but the regional council is doing a good job.
  • There is a concern that ‘rock snot’ could enter drinking water sources.

General comments

  • Parts of Hawkes Bay are below sea level and so there is the potential for natural hazards to affect many areas (e.g. tsunamis).
  • There have been research cuts in New Zealand because research does not fit the business model.
  • There are concerns that climate change policies will be watered down as a result of the Climate Change Review.
  • Concerns have been expressed about the explosion of land use. The development is often too fast for commercial reasons. There should be more research and development of strategic policy before allowing increasing development (i.e. what is the best type of land use).

Last updated: 17 September 2007