Environment Court Decision Following ORC Application For Enforcement Order
Following an application for an Enforcement Order over the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Environment Court released its decision yesterday.
The application for the Enforcement Order has been approved by the Environment Court.
ORC's Chief Executive Richard Saunders welcomed delivery of the decision and Enforcement Orders, ultimately to 'avoid, remedy and/or mitigate adverse environmental effects' caused by operation of the QLDC-owned Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant.
'The decision paves the way to begin a plan of action so QLDC is able meet its consent obligations and achieve compliance against the Court's Orders,' he says.
On 23 January ORC sought an Enforcement Order from the Environment Court to address current compliance issues at QLDC's Shotover treatment plant, which followed the issuing of two abatement notices and 10 infringement notices. (*note below).
Environment Court mediation was the next step in deliberations and the Court released its decision yesterday.
Mr Saunders highlighted ORC had taken several steps since problems arose with the plant's operations, dating back to 2021.
'The decision and enforcement orders give a clear indication of what's required to operate, remedy and upgrade the wastewater plant, while maintaining transparency with ongoing monitoring of these processes,' Mr Saunders says.
The decision outlines 7 pages of seperate enforcement orders, in an Annexure, including upgrades, contingency measures, timeframes and milestones to be met.
The Enforment Orders cover off Operations and Management Manual, staff Training, Sampling and Monitoring, Repairs and Improvements to the wastewater plant, Upgrades to the plant and a new Disposal Field solution; the latter requiring a consent application be made for a new disposal system by May 2026, which must be implemented by December 2030.
The Environement Court decision also noted parties can apply for further Enforcement Orders, if required.
The Decision is now on ORC's website.
Mr Saunders noted that the ORC continues to closely monitor the Shotover treatment plant site and continues to undertake its regulatory role.
Information on the Shotover treatment plant is available on Council's website:
https://www.orc.govt.nz/consents-and-compliance/compliance/shotover-wastewater-treatment-plant/
Consent application for discharge
Mr Saunders highlighted yesterday's Environment Court's decision is separate to QLDC making an emergency/retrospective consent application for earlier works at the Shotover site.
In early-May QLDC made an emergency works application to the ORC, including QLDC having requested public notification; an option available to all applicants under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
The QLDC application is for retrospective consent for its emergency works at Shotover River wastewater treatment plant. The emergency works enacted by QLDC were to bypass the problematic (soak) disposal field and to discharge treated wastewater directly into the Shotover river.
ORC is still assessing the application and further updates including a date for notification will be provided on the ORC website
*Background
Two abatement notices are in place and 10 infringements have been issued since the start of 2024. Five of these infringement notices have been issued this year (2025) relating to issues that happened on site towards the end of 2024.
All the (5) new notices that have been issued, relate to the alleged discharge of contaminants (namely treated wastewater) to land on the Shotover Delta in circumstances which may result in contaminant (or any other contaminant entering water; namely groundwater), the Shotover River and/or Kawarau River.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
5 hours ago
- Scoop
ORC To Consider Public Transport Changes
Otago Regional Council (ORC) will consider whether to discontinue free children's bus fares (5-12 years), increase adult fares from $2 to $2.50, and several other public transport changes at its meeting this week. The decisions are a result of ORC's review of the Otago Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). The RPTP attracted 549 public submissions, with hearings held in May this year. ORC General Manager Regional Planning and Transport Anita Dawe says, 'In a report being presented to the Council this week, the hearings panel for the RPTP are recommending discontinuing free fares for children, increasing the adult fare from $2 to $2.50, and setting child and youth discounts (5-18 years) to 40% off the adult fare (i.e. $1.50 fare). The fare increases are recommended to take effect from 29 September 2025.' 'The plan's hearings panel also recommends moving to a zone fare structure once ORC completes further analysis and modelling. Ms Dawe says no timeframe is indicated for this recommended change yet. In addition to fare changes, the panel has made recommendations on several potential new public transport services frequently raised by submitters. 'Many submitters indicated their support for some type of community transport to facilitate better intraregional connections. The panel recommends the Council maintains support for community transport as written in the plan, with the timing and scale of any future community transport programme to be decided in future Council meetings.' There were a number of submissions requesting new public transport services connecting Wanaka and Upper Clutha, Wanaka and Queenstown, and Oamaru and Dunedin, Ms Dawe says. Others asked for services connecting Dunedin and Dunedin Airport, Balclutha, Outram and Central Otago. 'The RPTP recommendations include Council consider these potential new services in the future and accelerates introducing public transport services for Wanaka to a six- to ten-year timeframe.' The panel acknowledged community interest in rail solutions, but concluded there is not the evidence base to include rail in the plan in any great detail. However, minor changes to language from the draft plan have been recommended to reflect sentiment and support study in this area. The panel appreciated many submitters acknowledging the public transport challenges Otago faces, including the constrained funding. The report will be presented to ORC's council meeting this Wednesday (25 June). The report and full agenda are now online, under Meetings on The council will publish the final version of the plan incorporating the recommended changes later this year.
Scoop
6 hours ago
- Scoop
NZHL Strengthens Leadership With GM Appointment
Home loan and insurance adviser network NZHL (New Zealand Home Loans) is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Barnes to the role of General Manager, Franchise & Distribution. In this role, Barnes will lead the Franchise Network, supplier relationships, and strategic partnerships. Barnes brings a wealth of experience to the position, having held several key leadership roles within NZHL, including most recently as General Manager of Operations, Risk, and Compliance. He was also a local NZHL business owner and previously served as Managing Director of a successful financial services firm based in Wellington. Recognised for his ability to build and lead high-performing teams, Barnes fosters a culture of excellence and innovation. He is deeply committed to operational efficiency and delivering outstanding results that exceed client expectations. NZHL CEO Kip Hanna says "Paul has a deep understanding of not only our business but also the broader industry, including best practices and regulatory frameworks. Paul's knowledge, experience, and skill set make him ideally suited to support our advisers in growing their local businesses and help put more New Zealanders in a better financial position." Barnes will officially step into his new role on 30th June and says he is excited to continue contributing to NZHL's growth and success. "NZHL Advisers focus on delivering high-quality, personalised financial advice that empowers clients to make informed decisions-particularly around the structure and management of their mortgage. Our approach considers each client's unique goals and ensures they're protected with the right insurance solutions," says Barnes. "I'm looking forward to working closely with our advisers, suppliers, and partners to continue delivering exceptional client outcomes with a growth mindset". In addition to Barne's appointment, NZHL is pleased to share the following key updates to the leadership team: Michael Beattie will take on Risk and Compliance (QA) responsibilities in addition to his current Strategy role. Janelle Ericksen has been promoted to lead Marketing, Brand, and Communications. These leadership moves reflect NZHL's ongoing commitment to supporting its adviser network, driving better client outcomes, and aligning expertise with its strategic vision. About NZHL NZHL is a Kiwi-owned, respected, and trusted brand - a purpose-driven (financial freedom, faster) home loan and insurance network that offers a solution to support advisers and help put Kiwis in a better financial position. Part of Kiwi Group Capital Ltd (KGC) which is 100% Government owned, NZHL Group operates with an Independent Board and local business owners nationwide.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Councillor denies privacy breach
The West Coast Regional Council is alleging a privacy breach involving its former chairman after correspondence from a mining company ended up in the media. However, Cr Allan Birchfield, who openly admits passing the information on, denies there was any breach. If the council wanted to take issue with it — "bring it on". The council released a statement this week, and although it did not directly refer to Cr Birchfield, it took issue with the release of the correspondence from Chinese-owned Westcoast Mining Ltd shared with "some councillors". The correspondence complained about a two-year delay in their resource consent application, and being ordered by regional council staff to shut down mining operations in the meantime. Council chairman Peter Haddock said in a statement Westcoast Mining Ltd had "confirmed it did not share" its correspondence to the council with anyone else. "Nor did it give permission for any of its information to be shared," Cr Haddock said. Rather, the letter had been shared "confidentially" with some councillors. "It's very disappointing privacy between [the] council and the company has been breached ... We will be taking measures to deal with this transgression." Cr Birchfield said yesterday he took "full credit" for passing on the information because it concerned council activities in the public domain. "They're wrong. That letter was written to all the councillors, and I take full credit for releasing it," he said. "The public should know the mining community do know what is going on [with the council]." He said the correspondence would be otherwise discoverable anyway through the Local Government and Official Information and Meetings Act. The allegations outlined by Westcoast Mining were "symptomatic" of wide disquiet in the West Coast community about the changing council approach to consenting and compliance, Cr Birchfield said. It not only reflected the growing concern within the West Coast mining fraternity but from other industry sectors seeking routine consents and now being presented with new hurdles. Cr Birchfield said the information being sought officially now often reflected no West Coast mining knowledge or local knowledge at all. "I'm being barraged with complaints from the industry and I'm sick of it. "I released that letter because it's not private," Cr Birchfield said. Cr Brett Cummings, who chairs the Resource Management Committee, was surprised at the council stance but preferred not to comment publicly. He was already awaiting further information on "concerns with the consenting process" he had raised. Cr Peter Ewen, who has regularly sparred with Cr Birchfield, described the release of the correspondence as "grandstanding" and "attention seeking". He said Cr Birchfield knew "full well" the rules about information disclosure. Given it was apparently yet to be tabled at the council meeting he was "jumping the gun". "I think attention-seeking councillors are doing it all the time — that's the problem," Cr Ewen said. "There's a right and a wrong way to do it. He knows that ... there's an election coming." Cr Ewen said there was also some irony in that Cr Birchfield, a gold miner, had not always declared his own mining activities at the council table. "He can't even follow the rules himself." Cr Haddock said Westcoast Mining Ltd had been mining without a resource consent when it was shut down on May 31. "It was clear the resource consent was yet to be issued as a company representative visited the WCRC office on May 16 ... to request alterations to their [application]. "We will not be commenting further while the matter is under investigation," Cr Haddock said. — Greymouth Star
