Source: Zero Waste Aotearoa
Minister Andrew Hoggard is prepared to throw the Waipā community, farmers and Fonterra under the bus by supporting a dangerous, polluting waste incinerator in Te Awamutu.
“The proposal is to burn three million tyres per year along with flock, the hazardous waste from the scrap metal process, plastics and mixed household waste in an incinerator in Te Awamutu,” said Sue Coutts of Zero Waste Aotearoa.
Minister Hoggard’s statements about the project at a recent candidate meeting in Cambridge show he is dangerously uninformed about the risks and issues associated with incinerators like these.
“Fonterra, along with nearly 1,000 local people, objected to the proposal to build this hazardous waste incinerator. It would be sited in a residential neighbourhood and next door to the existing Fonterra milk plant.”
“Incinerators like these emit dioxins, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals which could contaminate milk supply chains. Fonterra’s expert evidence at the Board of Inquiry hearing into the Te Awamutu incinerator proposal explained that the company would have to make a formal declaration under the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement should this facility be built because it could materially impact the content of the milk powder dried there.”
“Hoggard says incinerator projects like these should have a ‘safer run’ to approval. We disagree. The proposals being put forward by companies for incinerators are sales pitches. The RMA system needs to properly consider the real costs and risks of these proposals for the public, our environment and the businesses that already exist.”
“Hoggard does not appear to be concerned about the safety of the community, the primary products New Zealand exports or the farmers around Te Awamutu. His definition of ‘safety’ translates to protection of proposals that could cause harm and hazards from full scrutiny, expert examination and community input.”
“Hoggard also wrongly claimed that waste incinerators produce ‘minimal’ CO2. Waste incinerators are dirtier than coal – tyres, plastics and flock are all made from oil so burning them emits CO2. Burning plastic rubbish is a supercharger for heating the planet and emits persistent organic pollutants or ‘forever chemicals’ which are some of the most dangerous pollutants known to science.”
Zero Waste Aotearoa opposes the building of waste incinerators because they are harmful to human health, the environment, the climate and lock in the production of waste. Real solutions for waste start with better product design and waste prevention. Burning waste containing chemicals that could contaminate the agriculture and horticulture exports New Zealand depends on will only cause more problems.
Notes for editors & journalists
- See the BBC story, “Burning rubbish now UK’s dirtiest form of power” for details on waste incinerators vs coal.
- The Plume Plotter for the Waipā site shows the direction and extent of air emissions from the proposal.
- Zero Waste Aotearoa and the Environmental Defence Society provided legal and expert evidence at the Board of Inquiry hearing into the Te Awamutu incinerator in July 2025. You can read our submission and related documents.