A temporary warning sign was erected near a geothermal pond at Ōhinemutu after a wastewater spill on June 19. Photo / Lani Kereopa
A temporary warning sign was erected near a geothermal pond at Ōhinemutu after a wastewater spill on June 19. Photo / Lani Kereopa
A councillor’s bid to start an investigation into sewage leaks around Ōhinemutu has failed after he called for the “taonga” Rotorua village to be prioritised after a recent spill.
On June 19, a wastewater pipe cracked at Makitauna St, leading to sewage spilling into a geothermal pond at Ōhinemutu.
Known as the living Māori village, Ōhinemutu sits in a geothermal area on the shore of Lake Rotorua’s Ruapeka Bay.
Rotorua Lakes Council told the Rotorua Daily Post it was “unlikely any significant amount” of sewage reached Lake Rotorua and “most” of the waste was contained.
The leak was reported about 10.45am and the pipe was repaired by 6.30pm, with the affected area cleaned and disinfected. Warning signs were being removed by June 25 after testing confirmed no ongoing risk.
At the council’s infrastructure and environment committee meeting on Wednesday, councillor Don Paterson added a motion about the spill.
He asked the chief executive to produce a report by the end of August, identifying the cause, its link to “approximately” 58 previous occurrences in the area since 2006 and options to prevent it from happening again.
Paterson said the Ōhinemutu community would like to swim in the lake and eat trout from it again without worrying about potential ill effects.
Te Ruapeka Bay, Lake Rotorua, at Ōhinemutu. Photo / Ben Fraser
“Having some sewage spill into the lake is not an ideal situation.”
He understood it was “complex” and “a much bigger issue than just Ōhinemutu”.
Paterson said the village should be prioritised because of the environmental and cultural harm that contamination had caused, and because the community was a “taonga”.
“We need to give it a little bit more weight in looking after it.”
A temporary health warning signage was erected near a geothermal pond at Ōhinemutu following a wastewater spill on June 19. Photo / Lani Kereopa
Councillor Conan O’Brien supported the motion, referencing a “hostile” community meeting in Rotoiti last year about funding the $56.2m East Rotoiti-Rotomā sewerage scheme.
“What are we saying to the folks at Ōhinemutu if we’re not prepared to go out of our way a little bit more and produce some reports?”
Ōhinemutu, the living Māori village. Photo / Stephen Parker
Council infrastructure and assets group manager Stavros Michael said the discharge of untreated wastewater “anywhere in our living environment is unacceptable”.
He said regulations recognised there were limits to how much a network could be made totally safe.
To make a decision about a specific part of the network, councillors would need to decide why it was more important than other parts.
He said the number of spills across the network had “consistently” met key performance indicators for “at least” the past eight years.
The causes of the spills related to the age and conditions of pipelines and “uncontrolled events”, including the impact of ground conditions, geothermal activity, and household practices.
He said the latest leak seemed to have happened because of ground movement.
While the “intention” of Paterson’s motion was good, he did not want to convey a “false” message that zero spills could be achieved.
Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Andrew Moraes. Photo / Andrew Warner
Council chief executive Andrew Moraes said the motion involved asking to set a performance target that was “significantly better than what we’ve got” and “possibly a higher level of service around a particular part of the network”.
He said it was an extensive piece of work typically done through an Annual Plan or Long-Term Plan and would be costly to achieve by August.
Councillor Rawiri Waru asked if there was scope in policy to “make a difference straight away”.
Moraes said the council would need to set a goal, such as zero spills, establish an “asset response”, provide a cost, then understand who would pay.
Ōhinemutu’s network was last renewed in 2009, and Lani Kereopa asked if it could move “outside the village” instead of a future renewal.
For example, “going up Lake Rd rather than going through the middle of a significant geothermal site”.
Michael said low-lying Ōhinemutu had a gravity-fed pump station, and moving it higher would mean each household would need a way to pump wastewater up to it.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell. Photo / Laura Smith
Mayor Tania Tapsell said there was $6.262m in the 2025-26 Annual Plan for wastewater network renewal.
“While we are investing significantly, if we were to fulfil this notice of motion, instead of it being $6m, the possible renewal could be $27m per year, which will have .... a high impact on the targeted rate per year dedicated to this programme.”
While she appreciated the intention to protect Ōhinemutu, she believed it should be for the next council to consider a cost-benefit analysis and consult the community.
Chairwoman Karen Barker said singling out “one region above the others that struggle with the same conditions is challenging”.
The August deadline was not adequate to provide enough detail to move forward with anything “meaningful”.
