New Plymouth local government meeting
Monday 6 November
Waste policy
Waste levy
- Fixing a levy fee nationwide is ridiculous.
- If a levy is introduced, it needs to be on products e.g. at the manufacturing source to provide an incentive for better product design.
- It is much more efficient for MfE to run a levy from a central position rather than having 15 councils trying to administer levies.
- Is MfE still bound by the free market philosophy, or are we intervening more to drive/subsidise certain waste issues?
Education and information
- Keep tools and information on consent processes coming. Keep the information as brief as possible as the public does not want to read lengthy documents.
National environmental standards
Septic tanks
- It is dangerous to set minimum standards for septic tanks because of differing geology across country. Any standards need to be very carefully developed.
- Performance criteria are important for septic tank systems to ensure new technologies are not excluded.
- There are different agreements in different regions between local and regional authorities with regards to compliance and monitoring arrangements.
- The precedent has been set by the woodburner lists under the air quality standards for MfE to set a standard for septic tank and non-reticulated septic systems and provide a list of systems that meet the standard.
Water
- There is concern about irresponsible use of irrigation water, e.g. irrigating on a hot sunny day.
- There is concern about the accumulation of heavy metals in wetlands when councils put stormwater runoff through a wetland.
General comments
- How far do standards apply? Do they cover issues such as nuclear or GE?
- MfE needs to be aware of issues on the horizon such as the nuclear debate. Nuclear power could be argued by some as an answer to climate change.
Water
Water allocation and usage
- In Taranaki, there is very little stormwater treatment. The primary focus is to get the water off roads and land.
- District Councils are doing work to find new areas, e.g. boring for groundwater, but with only partial success to date.
- There have been some “at risk” years for water allocation.
- Taranaki is experiencing substantial growth in demand for water, e.g. for dairy conversion, dryland irrigation and to support an increasing population. “Dairy unirrigated” land is rapidly becoming “dairy irrigated”.
- There are currently a series of water schemes but there are gaps in between these – many dairy farms fall in these gaps.
- There are opportunities for the storage of rainwater and for individual stormwater storage.
Climate change
- Council staff have noticed an increase in rainfall coming in short, sharp bursts.
- There is concern that climate change will result in river low flows further decreasing.
- There is a need for guidance and practical recommendations about the impacts of climate change on sea level rise.
- Consideration needs to be given to climate change impacts on the petrochemical industry, e.g. climate change implications for floating roofs on petrochemical tanks.
- There is interest in the Permanent Forest Sinks Initiative (PFSI).
- The IPENZ climate change workshops were very useful. However, getting local government agreement to adopt guidelines from such workshops is difficult.
- There is a reluctance to adopt information from the workshops – the cost of considering/factoring in climate change is a big barrier (especially when ratepayer funded infrastructure needs to be upgraded).
- Often people are not aware that the guidelines exists, e.g. currently there is a wastewater project in the Urenui which proposes to have pump stations at sea level in a flood plain.
- How can climate change impacts and adaptation be considered under the RMA? Is great to say they should be considered, but how? Guidance is required on how to do so.
- There is a lack of mandatory/regulatory measures with respect to considering climate change in planning.
- There is a clear need to disseminate information more widely – especially to get it in to standards (e.g. design, subdivision, building).
- It is difficult to quantify climate change impacts. There is a need for more practical examples on the ground.
- People use the “pearson” document – but this is now out of date. Something along these lines useful.
- Consultants have a role to provide advice only. The client needs to be targeted. Consultants who factor in climate change cannot compete on price. It is not a level playing field.
- There needs to be influence when district plans are being reviewed. Stratford is currently reviewing theirs.
- There are already substantial problems with bridges and roads.
- There is a lack of funding for preventative work.
- Retiring of land will be based on the carbon market. A voluntary carbon market is unlikely to be effective. It will only be effective when it is at least as profitable to retire the land as it is to farm it. A ‘top-up’ from central government could assist with this?
- There is a clear need to foresee, as best as possible, what the impacts are likely to be, e.g. high intensity rainfall in steep, short gradient rivers will impact on bridges, roads and streambanks. High energy rainfall and increased erosion will trigger landslides.
- A reforestation project could be a possible response on a large scale.
- In East Taranaki, the flats build up quicker.
Flood risk management and catchment management
- Councils need concrete, robust numbers when revising District Plans in order to survive the drafting process. It would be great to tie in with the upcoming IPCC 4th Assessment Report to get more concrete numbers, e.g. in terms of expected frequency and intensity of flood events, climate change impacts on river flows, extreme events etc. Flood risk in some areas is very high e.g. Kapuni River, Stratford and South Taranaki
- The landcare erosion predication model could be made more freely available. Environlink is not necessarily the best way.
- Guidance on appropriate and sustainable land use from central government would be welcomed.
- Central government is not promoting soil conservation. It is being driven regionally.
- Options could be explored (in terms of co-benefits) under sustainable catchment management.
Education and information
- A regional project is starting soon on climate indicators and expected changes.
- There is a clear need for more accurate rain models – especially high resolution ones for Waitara, Urenui. Get things right from the start with good information.
- A digital terrain version of the New Zealand Land Cover Database (LCDB3) would be useful. Accurate base data and satellite imagery would be very helpful. Some LUCAS (land use and carbon analysis system) data/mapping could be useful.
- There is concern about the effects of climate change on land subsidence. Government policy has moved away from traditional soil conservation and regions now have to subsidise such activities themselves.
- Funding is required for preventative maintenance to minimise impacts of floods.
Environmental reporting
General comments
- Water allocation issues should be reported on.
- Representative river sites should be selected. The choice of sites is very strategic.
- Additional monitoring requires additional funds.
- Highlight trends and how they have changed.
- Information must be rigorous.
- Web based information is very valuable.
- Comparison between regions is wanted, as well as international comparison.
- Celebrate success – it builds confidence in the community.
- Better and accessible hard data is needed.
Climate change
Education and information
- We need to be serious about climate change. More research is needed to gain more facts and figures.
- More vigorous public awareness about climate change needs to be created so it is more real to people. A greater awareness is needed about the consequences climate change poses, e.g. similar adverts and campaigns like on cigarette packets.
- Messages should be positive, not just doom and gloom.
- The public screening of The Inconvenient Truth was a good idea, but because of the Minister’s speech and advertisement, it seemed more like a political stunt. Movies such as these should be screened independently.
- Education for climate change issues needs to be pitched at different levels, including education at schools, industry and general public. The messages to each of these groups should be catered to their needs.
General comments
- MfE needs to look at the sources of emissions, e.g. 40% agriculture, 19% transport, and put more effort in to the awareness of these.
- Government should use more tax instruments such as levies and taxes to make people respond and change their behaviour towards climate change.
- The public will only respond if it starts costing them money. Money changes people’s behaviour. MfE should devise policy that uses incentives and disincentives to change behaviour.
- Industry needs to show some leadership in climate change action. The public will look to industry for direction.
- Due to the recent Marsden B decision, local government are now legally required to collect greenhouse gas information under the RMA. There is still some confusion about what this means and why local government need to do it.
General interest
National Environmental Standards
- Information about standards should be easier to follow, for example small user-friendly booklets.
- More consultation is needed on National Environmental Standards.
Transport
- Government should think about public transport and the need to keep the national rail services going.
Contaminated land
- Local councils need to do more work to address site contamination and zone out areas. At the moment there is not enough information about site contamination and what areas are contaminated.
Education and information
- There should be exercises to educate primary school kids and promote awareness of environmental issues, e.g. a reduce your packaging campaign so kids are encouraged to bring less packaged lunches to school.
Last updated: 27 February 2008
