Moerewa laundromat plan sparks community concerns over water safety

Moerewa residents and hapū worry about greywater impacting the environment and local water supply. Photo / Jenny Ling

Moerewa residents worry their concerns around drainage and wastewater have been sidelined amid a laundromat’s consent process.

The Far North District Council (FNDC) says environmental risks have been addressed but hapū and residents disagree claiming they have been left out of critical discussions.

A laundromat may seem like a small addition to Moerewa but for local hapū Ngāti Kopaki and Ngāti Te Ara, it symbolised a larger issue. The community and hapū were concerned about the impact water from the planned business may have on the town.

A consent was erroneously granted and then cancelled last year. There is currently no consent in place as the applicant is working on a new one.

Ngāti Kopaki Hapū Society Incorporated secretary and community liaison Josephine Kemp-Baker believed the community’s concerns have not been fully addressed.

“With Moerewa being built on a flood plain, flanked by two rivers, and no reticulated drainage system or sewage treatment plant, the community has concerns about where the greywater would go and what impacts it may have on the surrounding environment.

“Hapū concern is that leakage from the storage tanks will find its way to the myriad of groundwater supply still used by locals in drought season.”

Kemp-Baker said two years ago Ngāti Kopaki hapū, He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust, Ōtiria Marae and individuals lodged an objection to the laundromat business being opened in Moerewa. They were told last year the application was denied.

FNDC acting group manager for delivery and operation, Trent Blakeman, said the original consent was granted erroneously because there was an error in the size of the disposal field that was originally consented.

He said the applicant had since made significant changes to their new consent application.

“The amended building consent application incorporates the use of a closed-loop greywater system, which disinfects the greywater and then reuses it. There is no discharge of greywater.”

Blakeman said three-monthly testing of the water is a requirement of the building consent to ensure a suitable water quality.

Ngākaiwhakahaere o Ngāti Kopaki me Ngāti Te Ara secretary and Ngāti Te Ara community liaison Terina Wihongi said they are yet to see how the closed-loop greywater system will be viable and questioned what sort of monitoring that system would require.

Wihongi said anything that affects their drinking water or supply should be sent to the Resource Management Act process, which is legislation for managing natural resources including land use. The legislation allows councils and communities to make decisions on the kind of environment they want and activities that may have an impact on the environment.

“Ngāti Te Ara and Ngāti Kopaki have a Gazette notice on our waterways, and we believe that we should have been consulted as mana whenua via an RMA process.”

Blakeman said consulting with hapū in the resource consent process was an important step to ensure that the interests, values, and concerns of communities are considered.

“Council’s consultation occurs when an application for resource consent is submitted, and it involves sharing the details of the proposed project with tangata whenua who have expressed an interest in the area.

“However, in this case, as no resource consent is necessary, there has been no formal opportunity for consultation and there is no obligation to consult with hapū on building consents.”

Wihongi said the key environmental concern for the waterway was to ensure the work their kaitiaki (guardians) have done maintains the integrity of the taiao (environment) and guarantees their wai’s (water’s) sustainability for future generations.

“The council needs to ensure that there are contingency plans in place to ensure the safety of our waterways and uphold their responsibility as the local governing body.”