Palmerston North local government meeting
Wednesday 8 November
Waste policy
Waste levy
- Central government needs to be involved in pushing through issues such as waste levies. Container deposits are another example.
Recycling, reuse and community
- There is concern about alcopops/glass bottles – particularly with the young population.
- There is interest in what we can do to minimise plastic bags.
- Palmerston North has been making strong efforts at educating towards recycling. This has resulted in an increase in recycling. This happened at the same time as a change to user-pays recycling services.
- Palmerston North is investigating single stream recycling – but with a separate area for different materials. “The Castle Bin” designed by Massey.
- Palmerston North advocates “you bought it, you sort it”.
- There is concern about plastic packaging (e.g. duvet covers) and interest was expressed in degradable plastics.
- There were mixed thoughts on waste to energy. Perhaps recycling is preferable as it provides employment.
- As the population ages, we need to consider making it easier for the elderly to recycle and compost. New wheelie bins are being designed with this in mind.
- We need to convince businesses that better management of waste is good business and get them to do in-house recycling.
- Recycling is able to be done by everyone in the community.
- Difficult waste streams include glass and plastics.
- Maybe we need to put more of an emphasis on individual responsibility.
General
- Our waste system is immensely complex. It is hard to know/pick where to intervene.
- Palmerston North is closing a landfill (closing Awapuni and trucking to Bonnie Glenn) and is hence working hard on waste minimisation. A large resource recovery facility (including a composting opportunity?) is being set up.
- A co-generation plant has just started off Awapuni (to run the wastewater plant). This will provide 15-25 years of energy.
- There is a desire get local business groups involved.
- Challenge staff to carry good practices from the workplace to home.
- It is vital that we manage the incentives for waste reduction and use both carrots and sticks. One stick might be a levy on waste to landfill.
- More work is needed with businesses on the economic value of reducing waste.
- Waste is not just a central government or local government issue. It is about personal responsibility.
National environmental standards
Contaminated Land
- Communicating with the public on the issue of contaminated land is a challenge.
- Palmerston North District Council has limited capacity in this area, as do many other councils. Help from MfE on mentoring etc. would be welcomed.
- MfE should undertake leadership and outreach activities in this area.
- MfE should conduct a survey of councils to identify what areas they need help, for example help with implementing Guideline # 4 and the need for council to have adequate policies and plans.
- There is a lack of clarity about legal liability in relation to contaminated land and a lack of legislation that addresses contaminated land.
Water
Septic tanks
- There are pressures from subdivisions and septic tank discharges to land. There is the option to define the quality of treatment through a National Environmental Standard or encourage community schemes.
- Study in Rotorua about best/most effective septic tank systems.
- Look at a National Environmental Standard for septic tanks.
- Industry codes of practice are more effective than rules.
Flood risk management and catchment management
- There is an increase in flooding throughout New Zealand.
- It is not practical to keep building stopbanks.
- Local government needs to work in partnership with central government.
- The conflicts in regulation need to be sorted out. There is conflict with the Building Act requirements and design of infrastructure.
- The Combined Wairarapa District Plan has restrictions on land use.
- The lack of modelling on the likelihood of floods is a problem.
- Changing flood lines are difficult to manage in uncertainty.
- National policy is needed on who pays for government initiatives.
- Recognise in relation to the Sustainable Water Programme of Action that there are differences across New Zealand. One size does not fit all.
- The role of hydraulic neutrality is being applied in Kapiti Coast District Council.
- There is not enough focus on urban water use in integrated catchment management.
- Cost is a barrier to the implementation of integrated catchment management. Councils feel that they need to buy land to protect drinking water sources.
- The Kapiti Coast District Council faces urban flood issues, impacts on quality, storm water issues, and the rising sea level issue.
- Flooding in lower river areas has social and economic consequences.
Land use
- What comes off the land is important and has to be managed.
- Nutrient budgets are a requirement in Horizons regional plan.
- Greater Wellington will consider a study of nitrogen at Castlepoint.
- Fertilizer representatives have a role in providing education on the use of nitrogen budgets.
- There is a need for guidance on stormwater.
Water quality
- We need incentives to protect water quality e.g. to encourage riparian planting.
- Intensification is driving water quality and quality issues.
- Non-point sources are a major problem and pollutant. We need more assistance and science to balance waste disposal and water quality e.g. applying effluent to land.
- Farmers need more incentives and encouragement to adopt nutrient budgeting and address nutrient losses. Legislation would not be the right tool.
- Regulations need to be accompanied by extra funding, not extra rates.
- Industries that are polluting water are also the ones who rely on water to succeed. If you charged for water people would be more careful with the resource.
Water allocation and usage
- Government direction is needed on water allocation. People need to come first before business. Local authorities should take responsibility for leaks from infrastructure.
- Water metering should be required for all properties. This is where efficiency gains can be made.
- Greater Wellington faces issues with water allocation, groundwater and nutrient management.
Education and information
- The public should be educated on water efficiency and water quality, and water saving. Funding for public education in Kapiti was cut when the issue went away. Education should address all levels, including water quantity and quality, and household activities.
- There is concern regarding the robustness of information used to inform the development of standards, especially drinking water standards.
Climate change
Education and information
- The crucial first step is to raise awareness of climate change.
- Councils need to share information so that they know what other councils are doing.
- Guidelines are needed on how to enact section 7.1 in the RMA regarding climate change.
- National consistency is needed for section 7.1 under the RMA.
- Guidance is needed on how to build climate change into the district plan.
- Communicating to the public is essential. Communication needs to focus on long term impact.
- Communicate to younger generations
- When communicating to councils, build in a business case.
- Information on who is doing what would be helpful
- Clear, concise images showing the impact of climate change on people’s lives are needed.
General comments
- Transport is important. The public needs access to public transport.
- Incentives can play important role with promoting behavioural change
- Regulation will not solve problems.
- There is value in promoting ‘case studies’ of companies that are doing good things.
- Climate change needs to be recognised in the school curriculum.
- National consistency around things such as water heaters is essential. Government needs to look at building capacity in trades.
- Technology will play an important role in combating climate change.
- Government needs to establish national standards on wind farms.
- The costs associated with various energy options should be weighed up by independent parties.
- Develop national guidelines for climate change, in particular for coastal region and infrastructural development.
- It is important that councils recognise in district plans that climate change may be advantageous.
Environmental reporting
General comments
- How are local government State of the Environment (SOE) reports used nationally?
- National guidance on State of the Environment reports would be useful.
- Will the data collected by MfE be available online? This would be useful.
- Standardised software for inputting data would also be helpful – i.e. systems that upload data from council databases automatically into national databases.
ENZ07
- It would be good to have links to other information on the web based version of the ENZ07 report i.e. links to other reports and local websites.
- It would be good to have a summary of the beginning of each chapter, in addition to an executive summary at the start of the report.
- ENZ07 is a here and now report but it would be good to look forward as well i.e. predictions for the next 10, 20, 50 years.
- It needs to be emphasised in ENZ07 that people’s actions are the biggest pressures on the environment.
- A peer review/critique of ENZ07 would be useful.
General interest
Urban development, design and planning
- Private plan changes are making it difficult to manage urban growth and development in a strategic manner.
- Growth strategy development is hindered by limited people/staff resources.
- Guidance and associated case law is needed on rejecting private plan changes.
- Councils face servicing costs associated with urban growth and development.
Energy
- The local effects of energy production need to be weighed up against the national interest.
General comments
- Ongoing research is needed on where resource management practitioners have gone.
- Education and awareness is needed at school level of planning and resource management as a profession.
- Council structure could impact on the desirability of planning as a profession.
- It is difficult to source funding for community initiatives. Start up funding for waste projects would be useful.
Last updated: 27 February 2008
