Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Queenstown Lakes District Council has voted to seek long-term approval to pump treated wastewater into the Kawarau River.
Councillors agreed on Thursday to lodge a 35-year resource consent application for discharge from the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, while staff keep looking for alternative solutions to the region’s wastewater woes.
The decision comes one year after the council first diverted wastewater to the Shotover River under emergency powers, following persistent performance issues at a disposal field on the Shotover Delta.
The temporary plan prompted community backlash, with some locals saying the river was at risk and the council had not been transparent.
QLDC retrospectively applied for consent in May, then sought for the case to be handled by the Environment Court.
Separately, the Environment Court ruled the council needed to fix the issues long-term, and lodge a long-term resource consent application by 31 May.
Under the $77.5 million plan supported by most councillors on Thursday, the council would install advanced filters at the treatment plant, and build a 1.4km pipeline to carry the treated wastewater to a rock outfall structure on the Kawarau River.
It was the option recommended by council staff as the most technically feasible and cost-effective pathway, designed to handle the district’s projected growth through to 2060.
However, the plan was strongly opposed by Ngāi Tahu.
RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Iwi representatives stated that the direct discharge of human waste to natural water was “abhorrent” and contrary to tikanga, because water classified as waikino (polluted water) should not be mixed with other categories of water, council documents showed.
Assessments showed the Kawarau River’s high energy and flow would provide rapid dilution, meaning the environmental effects were “no more than minor”.
The volume of wastewater requiring disposal from the Shotover plant was projected to more than double by 2060 to to 26 million litres per day, council documents showed.
On Thursday, councillors debated asking the Environment Court for an extension to the consent deadline – a move council staff had warned could be risky and costly.
Ultimately, an alternative option put forward by councillor Gavin Bartlett – to apply for the consent, but also direct the chief executive to undertake further investigations into long-term disposal options – was approved.
Councillor Jon Mitchell described it as a pragmatic but inclusive option.
“This will expedite getting us out of the current situation we’re in, into something marginally more acceptable. With an open mind to pursuing what other options might be available,” he said.
Councillor Nicola King said it was a difficult decision, but it would be costly and without “real reason” to delay the decision.
“We just have to make sure it’s not our long-term solution,” she said.
Mayor John Glover abstained from voting, and councillor Niki Gladding voted against it.
Once the council selected the most cost-effective option, it would be difficult to justify looking at anything else, she said.
“If you’re a developer and you’ve paid development contributions towards it, you’re not going to be wanting to pay twice for a second solution,” she said.
“Once we’ve done this, we’ve done it… we’ll have lost the opportunity to set the direction that we don’t want our wastewater just pouring into the Kawarau.”
RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Community urges caution
Earlier in the meeting, during a public delegation, Queenstown Lakes Community Action founder Nikki Macfarlane urged the council to pause – in part because there had not been a “full environmental assessment clearly setting out the risks of each option” nor “meaningful engagement with the community”, she said.
“Once that pathway is set, it’s difficult to reverse,” she said.
“We’re asking you to request an extension from ORC and the Environment Court so you have the time and the necessary information to make a decision that you can stand behind with confidence.”
Andrew Davis, a Queenstown resident of 20 years, said the council should look at options to improve the quality of the wastewater.
“We are privileged to live in an environment with pristine water bodies, whereas many of the comparative plants are discharging into highly degraded environments,” he said.
Other options on the table
In the lead-up to Thursday’s vote, council staff also looked at adding a wetland to the Shotover Delta, hybrid schemes trialling partial disposal via deep boreholes, or shallow soakholes at Frankton Flats, or a high-cost land-only irrigation scheme on the Crown Terrace.
The council held a series of drop-in sessions in December and January for community members to learn about the options, but skipped full public consultation to meet the May deadline.
Councillors agreed to direct the chief executive to keep looking at “reasonably practicable wastewater options, including land-based and hybrid land-water options that may minimise the extent of the discharge of treated effluent to water”, and report back by March 2027.
The council also agreed to seek further hui with Kā Rūnaka leaders, and undertake further community engagement.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
