Councillor Robert Lee at a June meeting. Photo / Laura Smith
Rotorua Lakes Council has thrashed out two proposals that will shape the city’s future approach to water and treated wastewater services.
But it was not straightforward in the meeting on Wednesday, with councillor Robert Lee’s suggestion to dump treated wastewater into a stream rebuked by fellow councillors, and debates over mana whenua and te ao Māori principles.
Rotorua’s current wastewater system uses spray irrigation in the Whakarewarewa Forest under a temporary agreement until 2026.
The council was voting on whether to establish a Recovered Water Working Group to assess alternatives and recommend a new permanent discharge method by early 2027.
The vote was divided into two sections, with the criteria and values of a working group to consider as well as the weighting of those values.
Lee labelled the process “overly complex and complicated” and any working group a “recipe for disaster”.
He suggested a simple solution existed, which was to drain treated wastewater into Puarenga Stream. He said this would be the “cheapest solution” for ratepayers.
Councillor Gregg Brown said that would be a “pretty quick” way to end up in the Environment Court.
Councillor Don Paterson then suggested the people of Ngapuna would be “lighting torches and coming with pitchforks” should that be the plan.
Councillor Conan O’Brien insisted a complete consensus on the issue was unlikely, before Mayor Tania Tapsell emphasised a need to go “above and beyond” to ensure all wastewater decision-making was made in the public eye.
Councillor Lani Kereopa also expressed her concerns about the plan putting costs ahead of mana whenua engagement. She and Lee both voted against the criteria and values.
Councillors were asked to vote on how to prioritise the outcomes the working group should focus on.
One option gave more weight to financial and practical concerns, assigning 35% each to total lifecycle cost and implementation risk, while giving just 10% each to relationships with mana whenua, community acceptance and environmental outcomes.
The alternative was to treat all five areas equally at 20% each.
Most councillors supported the first option with the heavier weighting on cost and risk. However, Kereopa, Paterson and Trevor Maxwell voted against it, raising concerns that mana whenua engagement was being undervalued. Lee abstained.
There was more heated debate as councillors confirmed the Water Services Delivery Plan.
The plan, required by the Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation, stated Rotorua would continue managing water services in-house until at least 2028.
Meanwhile, the council would explore forming a joint water services organisation with neighbouring councils, then make a final service delivery model decision in 2027.
Lee signalled an intention to abstain from voting, saying he was sceptical of the ability of a council-controlled organisation to deliver and of some wording around te ao Māori and mana whenua.
He highlighted a recent agreement with Ngāti Kearoa-Ngāti Tuara over Karamū Tākina Springs, which supply 60% of the city’s drinking water, saying it meant rates rises for constituents.
Despite their concerns about changes being forced upon them by central government, Lee’s abstention was rebuked by Brown and O’Brien.
“For a mayoral candidate to sit on the fence is not great fella,” said Brown. “Abstain? Come on. You’ve got all the information make a decision.”
“I won’t be abstaining despite my concerns,” said O’Brien. “Because I am here to make decisions. I believe that is why people put me here. Not just to blab, continue on and sit on the fence and not make a decision or follow principles.”
Lee suggested abstaining was one of three voting options, along with yes and no.
Tapsell said his voting options were yes or no and that abstaining was considered a non-vote.
The mayor praised council staff for putting together a “strategic document”, which gave the council time and opportunity to decrease costs and ensure they make the right long-term decision.
She then called out Lee for what she described as his “continuing bashing of Māori and iwi”.
Tapsell suggested the Karamū Tākina Springs agreement potentially saved a sum approaching $100 million.
Lee’s attempt to raise a point of order in response was shot down by Tapsell, who gave him one more chance to “please be quiet” to allow the meeting to continue.
The motion then carried, with Lee abstaining and Paterson voting against – believing it was unfair Rotorua be treated the same as other areas with poorer performing water systems.
Tapsell and Lee previously confirmed to Local Democracy Reporting they would run for mayor in the October election.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.