What to do about rubbish is an ongoing issue for councils in Northland and around New Zealand Photo / NZME
Kaipara District Council (KDC) has finished a 14-month investigation into a potential waste-to-energy plant in its rohe (region) – but there will be no council summary report produced.
Since April 2023, the council has been looking into a proposed waste-to-energy (WtE) plant that would be used to burn predominantly Auckland rubbish. It would be the largest such facility in New Zealand.
KDC formally closed the investigation off at a late June council meeting this year.
Council chief executive Jason Marris said a summary investigation report had not and would not be produced.
Regular investigation updates have been provided via the resolution register for each council meeting since April 2023.
“Since the April (2023) council meeting, various meetings and presentations have been held highlighting the potential for a future WtE plant,” Marris said.
“The purpose of the meetings was to socialise the concept and educate stakeholders, such as elected members, in the region.”
The meetings included conversations and presentations with council mayors and politicians across Northland and beyond and also included council staff and key stakeholders.
South Island Resource Recovery (SIRRL) spoke to a meeting of Northland Forward Together, the region’s four-council group of more than 50 elected politicians and chief executives during the process.
Marris said the cost of the 14-month process was “not applicable” and could not say who was in charge of the conversations.
“There was no investigation outside of a small number of meetings and presentations which were held highlighting the potential for a future WtE plant,” Marris said.
National lobbyists against the proposed industrial facility, New Zealand’s Zero Waste Network (ZWN) earlier called for facts rather than a sales pitch for what was being called an investigation.
KDC’s role in any future local WtE plant will be purely regulatory, its 10 politicians unanimously decided in June.
“... for clarity, council will not be constructing a WtE plant,” Marris said.
Any applications would be subject to KDC and Northland Regional Council consenting.
Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen said this week that he was happy with the way discussions had evolved and did not believe the council report he had originally called for was needed.
“I never intended it ought to be something that was a burden on our ratepayers. But we’ve taken the initiative and started that conversation so hopefully, it will continue to evolve,” Larsen said.
Larsen’s 2023 push called for the investigation to be done with Auckland Council via Mayor Wayne Brown’s office, Whangārei District Council via Mayor Vince Cocurullo’s office, Far North District Council via Mayor Moko Tepania’s office, Northland Inc and Te Uri o Hau.
He directed it was also to be done with the majority Chinese-owned company South Island Resource Recovery (SIRRL) which is pushing for a WtE plant in Waimate Canterbury. However, this aspect was changed before voting, to include that the investigation should be done with industry operators including but not limited to SIRRL.
Mayor Craig Jepson, Larsen, Mike Howard, Gordon Lambeth, Ron Manderson, Ash Nayyar , Pera Paniora, Mark Vincent and Rachael Williams were in favour of Larsen’s 2023 push.
Cr Eryn Wilson-Collins voted against it.
Wilson-Collins said the WtE investigation’s completion closed off Larsen’s notice of motion.
It came as “a lot of the community” expressed concern about it happening behind closed doors, Wilson-Collins said.
“At least now our ratepayers know that Kaipara District Council is no longer investigating waste to energy, that it is a private sector role, that it won’t be a ratepayer burden,” she said.
KDC said establishing a WtE plant would not be KDC’s responsibility.
Nayyar backed Larsen’s April 2023 call.
“I was in favour of it ... if it was practical, but it is not council’s business to put their hands into projects and take people’s money on our kind of thinking which may not be feasible,” Nayyar said last month.
Nayyar went on trips to Bali and Vietnam, checking out WtE plants while there, but found they had not been established in the locations he visited.
The trips were personal, KDC had not paid for them and he would not be claiming any council reimbursements Nayyar said.
Jepson, Larsen and Howard are continuing to lobby for the Kaipara plant despite the council investigation completion – their lobbying happening at the June meeting and beyond.
KDC said Jepson was championing the WtE technology in his personal capacity.
“I am encouraged that discussions are still continuing as people learn more about waste to energy and what it can offer,” Jepson said.
Howard said finalising the investigation did not mean the plant’s promotion ending.
He had spoken to the Kaiwaka CAN community group which had been even more in favour of the plant once it heard KDC would not be involved in building it.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.