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New Plymouth community meeting

27 October 2005

National Environmental Standards

Contaminated land

How is agriculture and horticulture classified under the National Environmental Standard for contaminated land proposed? Are submissions likely to request for information/ guidelines around more contaminants? (e.g. dioxin)

Drinking water

There was a general agreement with the aims and goals of the Drinking Water National Environmental proposed. How are site groundwater plumes considered under the proposal or under the RMA at present?

Resource Management Act

Capacity building

  • The RMA is written for councils. The public have not given their input into the RMA review.
  • The RMA people in Taranaki are more generalists as opposed to Auckland where they are more specialists.
  • MFE could run roadshows on subjects associated with RMA.
  • The RMA has become something to avoid rather than work through. Councils should have people on their staff to assist people through the process rather than avoid it. Reference to RMA is not a general consideration of sustainability.

Resource consents

  • Consent processes can be unnecessarily costly (e.g. paying for written approvals).
  • We need to have a process that allows approval with the need to get the affected persons consent (e.g. rigid building developments).
  • The consents issued by council have wide ranging impact and are open to wide interpretation.
  • Dealing with big ticket items under the RMA is not necessarily easy. Although Taranaki is good at dealing with large processes (e.g. oil platforms).
  • We need to compile evidence on why consents fall over and why they do not proceed.

Iwi consultation

  • The RMA says that it consults iwi. Who audits this? Iwi representation is too limited (i.e. not enough iwi in decision making positions). For example, New Plymouth City Council has Maori staff but the Taranaki Regional Council has no Maori representation.
  • The council needs better consultation and to be sensitive to communities.

General comments

  • We are not sure that the RMA needed amending. Most of the concerns relate to its implementation and interpretation by local government.
  • Frustrations have arisen around the issue of one person being able to stop a project or development. It should not be too prescriptive as it needs to be flexible to allow input. It should not restrict the public but it should avoid one person stopping or delaying a development (e.g. frivolous complaints and vexations).
  • How should councils run hearing processes?
  • Around 1% of cases are highlighted for having process concerns with the RMA. The majority of issues proceed well under the RMA in Taranaki.
  • Is NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome vexatious? At what point is it decided that public good overrides individual concerns? How is the council going to interrupt vexations?
  • It is interesting to have statistics on what is happening with the RMA operation. From a business point of view certainty and a clear timeline is required.
  • Upfront preparation is needed but recognition of issues and tried and true approach of standards is adopted. This is stifling innovation as people stay with old technology (e.g. landfill sites are not necessarily ideal but are accepted by the community).
  • Time constraints are the biggest concerns.

Waste

Recycling, reuse and community

  • Glass recycling is not happening to the degree that is needed.
  • Is recycling an economical outcome when we have to drive the waste 100 kms to re-use it? Why force it on the remote community?
  • Resource recovery has been missed by councils.
  • Recycling costs too much. It is cheaper to buy new (e.g. glass).
  • Onyx trucks sort waste at collection but this costs money.
  • The Sustainable Management Fund (SMF) needs to assist waste reduction and recycling programmes.
  • A focus on reduction and reuse is the priority and the concept to work towards.
  • The recycling of battery waste should be encouraged.

Education and information

  • There needs to be more meaningful recycling education for children. Right now recycling has been taught in schools which do not have recycling facilities. Education also needs to target the general community.
  • MFE leadership is required (e.g. case studies of what works and does not, environmental awards schemes and the communication of simple messages).
  • We need to change peoples thinking (how they look at waste) and behavior in order to reduce environmental effects. We need to promote the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste. Volunteer efforts and initiatives should be encouraged to meet the Packaging Accords.
  • How do we make resources assessable to schools to help implement the requirements under National Environmental Standards?

Product stewardship

  • Taranaki has a large petrochemical industry that is up to speed with product stewardship and is cleaning up.
  • We need to look at the real costs of products (and packaging) from domestic and imported markets (e.g. disposable nappies). How does product stewardship help regulate this?

Waste minimisation

  • More responsibility needs to be put on the supplier regarding waste minimisation. Waste needs to go back to industry and so it gets changed in practice. Biodegradable packaging should be encouraged as it is the product that counts to the consumer and not the packaging.
  • Plastic waste should be discouraged, particularly where organics are used. We need to encourage New Zealand made products.
  • Construction waste is an issue in Taranaki (e.g. Waitakere). Waste considerations need to be built into construction planning. Recycling waste bins are needed on site. The Auckland model for dealing with construction waste is useful.

General comments

  • There needs to be interaction between regulation, education, ownership and stewardship.
  • There are policy issues between councils (e.g. there are trade waste by-laws in the north but not in the south).
  • Industry -led initiatives and innovations (non legislative) have worked successfully. Speadmark is a positive industrial scheme that has established standards for members to comply with for the spreading of fertiliser on farms.
  • Partnerships need to be established between industry, local government and the community.
  • Regulation is no longer acceptable in government. We need enabling and positive regulation.
  • How well do techno fixes work (e.g. ‘waste to energy’ initiatives)? What are the cost effective options?
  • We must consider the effects of regulations and legislation on citizens (e.g. waste efficient dump station and the Kyoto Protocol).
  • Small farmers are concerned about greenhouse gas. The contribution of small plantations (Permanent Forest Sink Initiative – PFSI) is not being recognised.
  • When treated timber is disposed of, it leaches into the ground and water. We need to look at developing different wood (hard woods) that does not need the treatment at the start (like in Canada). We need to look at where the timber touches the ground.
  • The problem with importing consumer goods is that if they are not produced by an environmentally friendly means then we are left with the waste.
  • 50% of waste sent to landfill is organic. We need to create a market for compost products.
  • Fly tipping is a growing issue (e.g. Awakino). People are dumping waste on public land rather than paying for facilities. How do we address this?

General topics

Environmental education and information

  • We need to go ‘back to basics’ through education. Education is the key to increasing environmental awareness. We need to set up eco-villages and trial communities based on environmental practices who share environmental ideas and information.
  • People need to look at the bigger picture and realise the global scene. What pressures are being faced around the world?

Water

  • There are concerns about water supply getting lower and shortage in rivers. We need to encourage riparian planting to restore balance to the ecosystem and increase the storage capacity in catchments.
  • We also need to encourage the use of dual water sources (e.g. grey water and roof tanks).

Energy efficiency and waste

  • Energy usage and waste disposal should not be so centralised. Local communities should be dealing with their own energy and waste requirements. We need more local schemes (e.g. wind power, water wheels and solar power etc.)
  • Alternative fuel sources need to be considered (e.g. biofuels etc.).
  • The issues of morality and benefits of nuclear were discussed. New Zealand does not need nuclear because it has other sources.
  • Is there wave potential for energy in New Zealand? (E.g. Cumbria is paying for a new bridge the uses the tide to produce energy).
  • People are now thinking more laterally about different energy sources.

General comments

  • The Taranaki Regional Council should be complimented on the work they have done with farming in particular.
  • Pine tree forestry should be discouraged and there should be a greater focus on native planting as this is more long term.
  • Deforestation needs to be stopped and re-planting needs to be encouraged. New Zealand should support poorer countries.
  • There is a dilemma between economic growth and the impact on the environment. There needs to be a balance. There is concern why the government wants to push New Zealand up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) table at the expense of what New Zealanders value - the environment.
  • We need to bring the producer and end user closer together.
  • The problem with Kyoto is that the USA has not signed it. The USA uses up most of the worlds resources and pollutes the most. What can the rest of the world do about it?
  • New Zealand architects are encouraged to use New Zealand products but lots of reps come in with different imported products.
  • Building consents overseas rate applications according to their embodied energy levels.
  • Changes to RMA can have an effect on new buildings making them more expensive.
  • The real cost of imported goods (in terms of its energy consumption) needs to be shown. The cost of petrol going up is contributing to this.
  • We need to use the railway network more often in New Zealand, especially from Taranaki.
  • Breakfast was too extravagant and could have been simpler (e.g. packaging and location were expensive). It would have been better to use funds on a local environmental project.

Last updated: 17 September 2007