Hamilton local government meeting

Thursday 9 November

Waste policy

Kerbside recycling is well supported by the council and community
In rural areas schools should have a drop off point for recycling.
There is support for the idea of bottle deposits.
More plastics should be recycled – government should be more involved in this area.
The community is still concerned about packaging, particularly glass and packaging (including different types of plastics).

What more MfE could do to help provide information and contacts to support waste management planning?
Waipa is looking at a waste management plan.
Construction and demolition waste is a real issue. There is nowhere in the district to drop it off or deal with it. A depot needs to be set up.

There is concern about power generation taking precedence.
Drinking water should be made a priority and should be on the same playing field as other issues.
National policy may have a role in prioritising the domestic use of water.
Is the transfer of water permits appropriate?
Unused water should go back to the community.
It is difficult to transfer water permits without controlling the on-selling of water.
Water could be put back into water bodies.
All large water takers should be required to develop a water efficiency plan to reduce demand and increase water efficiency.
There needs to be a gradual education plan to condition people about the efficient use of water.
Water meters and charging for water use could improve efficiency. Needs to be a value on water.
Introducing a requirement for rain tanks to supply water for garden use would improve water efficiency.
The Government has to take the lead on rain water tanks and efficient domestic use.

Need to be careful not to confuse the impacts of climate change with the result of a lack of maintenance.
Better maintenance of flooding measures is needed. This is a possible role for central government.
Affordability needs to be considered with the level of risk. The level of protection should be affordable.
Correct information is needed about the likelihood of floods. In some areas, the likelihood of flooding may decrease.
Information is needed on climatic variations across New Zealand.
Central government has a role in hazard mapping to prevent building in flood prone areas.

There are problems with intensification of rural/residential development. We need to look at the density of houses and tanks.
Farming land is being lost to lifestyle blocks, causing an increase in forestry.
Responsiveness of the RMA to changing land use is a problem.
Government needs to support the development of infrastructure required in growing communities.

We need more best practice guidance for planning e.g. model planning provisions.
We need access to better information e.g. hazard mapping by regional councils and national hazard mapping.
Systems need to be affordable.
Implementation of standards and policies needs to be backed up by funding and subsidies e.g. for clean drinking water, sewage etc.

Intensification of land use has an impact on water quality and municipal supplies. The costs of treating water supplies affected by land use practices are being passed on to urban communities.
It is costly to upgrade treatment systems for local drinking water supplies.
There is a need for equity between urban areas and rural areas.
Accords will not be enough in the region. Extra tools are needed, as well as partnership with government and consistent messages from government e.g. Government is using the wrong driver with the Kyoto Protocol and should not have allowed so many conversions.
Government needs to celebrate positive achievements e.g. handling of dairy effluent and dealing with point sources.
Human health issues arise as a result of a change in effluent management practices e.g. dairy discharges onto land. Research is needed into the affect of discharges onto land.
Need for more protection of riparian areas in rural subdivisions. This should not be just the responsibility of regional councils

A National Environmental Standard (NES) for septic tanks was discussed.
Need to start with better monitoring of existing regional standards.
Design and maintenance of septic tanks is needed.
Science is needed to look at what is happening locally i.e. indicators at a local level.

The money taken by the government needs to be recycled and put back into addressing environmental issues.
The Communities for Climate Protection (CCP) Programme is going well however people need to be rewarded for their behaviour at some point.
There is a lack of skilled staff within the climate change area.

Information needs to be clear and accurate.
Information from government needs to be meaningful to the public.
People need to be made to understand the impact climate change will have on their lives.
Government needs to stand up and lead on this issue.
Publications need to be put together in a clear, concise way.
Education will come too late. It can play a part but action needs to be taken over the next five years.
Information needs to go to farm buyers, not forest contractors.
Messages need to be clear and simple.
Put a human face on extreme events.
Gather information on adaptation and what changes are needed.

The RMA is not the answer because it is too slow. The government needs to get legislation through.
Private forest owners need incentives to plant or re-plant forests.
The Local Government Act could play an important role.
A moratorium is needed on things like deforestation and land being turned into dairy farms.
MfE needs to liaise with Fonterra because the ‘production’ message is having an impact on supply and demand.
Elements of the Building Code are impractical. One size does not fit all and government needs to recognise this when developing national standards.
Conservation zones along the river provide many co-benefits.
Government needs to look at the tax farmers can get back from planting on farmland, as it is not enough to warrant planting.
Communications need to be short, sharp and personal.
It is important to educate children! This will not make a difference now but will in the future.
Communication need to focus on changes in weather, and the language used should be ‘here and now’.

It would be useful to see regional and local tables behind the national database
Information is one thing but it is about changing people’s behaviour. Therefore people’s perceptions on the environment need to be measured.
Is there an overall framework for all of the reports coming out of government departments? Maybe Statistics New Zealand has a co-ordination role? There is a great need for all indicators to be linked?
Regional data that can be ‘drilled’ into would be useful so that ‘bits and pieces’ can be analysed. A framework that everyone is comfortable is needed.

There is no chapter on amenity landscape values. This is a gap.
The order of chapters should be changed to:
- Current State
- Trends
- Pressures
- Indicators
There need to be clear messages about cause and effect.
The aim of central government reporting should be to produce something that goes across all sectors – i.e. a state of the nation report as opposed to a state of the environment report.
MfE needs to ensure that it avoids duplication with the indicators.
The state of the environment report needs to send out clear messages about why things are happening.

Last updated: 27 February 2008