Refuse station plans cause a stink

Ngapuna hapu Ngati Hinemihi, upset about plans to build a refuse transfer station near its marae, is not ruling out a protest.

However, the hapu says at this stage they are willing to negotiate with Transpacific Industries Group New Zealand - the company which has applied for resource consent to build a refuse transfer station on land at the intersection of Hamiora Pl and Te Ngae Rd.

The Rotorua District Council recently facilitated a hui at Hinemihi Marae between Ngati Hinemihi and Transpacific after Ngapuna businesses and iwi opposed the proposal.

Businesses and iwi have expressed concerns about extra heavy traffic, the smell and how it would look on the road to and from the city's airport. The tribe has a mineral bathhouse across the road and its marae is about 100m away.

Hinemihi Marae trust chairman Te Ohu Mokai Wi Kingi said the hapu could remember the odour of the Rotorua dump that was in Sulphur Bay for many years and they also had the Rotorua Sewerage Station located near them.

Mr Wi Kingi said Transpacific had offered to take tribal members to Auckland to see one of their stations in action.

"A dump is a dump and you'll always have problems with smell. Where there's rubbish there's rats and where there's rats there's health issues."

Another concern was traffic volume and Mr Wi Kingi said Hamiora Pl was a thoroughfare for marae traffic.

He said the intersection was already dangerous and the increased traffic would make it worse.

He said it was ridiculous having "a dump on the main road from the airport to the city".

"This is one of the main tourist destinations for Aotearoa and a dump on Te Ngae Rd is not a good look."

He said there were a number of locations more suitable including the Tarawera Rd refuse transfer station.

Mr Wi Kingi said he knew they could not stop the development but did not rule out the possibility of a protest. However, the hapu would make a submission to the council and was willing to negotiate with Transpacific.

"Our fall-back position would be to request the development be situated at the far rear corner and the road boundaries to be fully landscaped."

Mr Wi Kingi also didn't rule out the possibility of the hapu seeking guaranteed employment at the station.

A local businesswoman, who did not want to be named, said she was concerned the proposed refuse transfer station could have similar odour problems experienced at a Whakatane Refuse Transfer Station.

She said she had heard there had been numerous complaints made about the smell from the Whakatane Refuse Transfer station on Te Tahi St.

As well as the smell the station attracted rats and seagulls. She said the station had been operating for five years and there were always issues.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council senior consents officer Miriam Robertson said they were currently assessing any potential effects on the environment.

She said the proposed transfer station was significantly different to the operational Whakatane transfer station due to the different proportions of waste intending to be processed.

"The majority of waste intended to be processed at the Te Ngae site is construction and demolition waste, and other dry waste."

Transpacific managing director Tom Nickels said Ngati Hinemihi outlined some of their concerns relating to the proposed site and the organisation presented its proposal, which included draft plans of the site.

"This resource recovery facility will be operated as a refuse transfer station and is not a rubbish dump.

"The level of traffic is expected to be significantly less than when the site was being used as a petrol station."

A further meeting is planned for later this month.