The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Industries to contribute $9 million to wastewater plant's capital costs

Zaryd Wilson
By Zaryd Wilson
Editor - Whanganui Chronicle ·Whanganui Chronicle·
11 Jul, 2018 08:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Whanganui's wet industries will pay about $2.45 million in trade waste fees and charges this year. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Whanganui's wet industries will pay about $2.45 million in trade waste fees and charges this year. Photo/ Bevan Conley

The wet industries will pay $2.45 million for the use of Whanganui's new wastewater treatment plant in its first full year of operation.

Just how much the businesses, such as Affco and Tasman Tanning, will contribute to the plant has been a bone of contention over the past few years of design and construction.

The $40m plant is now fully operational and Whanganui District Council have confirmed the wet industries will contribute capital costs of $9m of the $27m borrowed for its construction.

That has been calculated on a marginal basis, meaning the industries are paying for the extra cost required to upsize the plant to cater for its discharge.

The $9m will be repaid over 25 years ($360,000 a year).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The $2.45m for 2018/19 is split between that capital contribution and variable costs associated with treating and disposing of waste which will be set on an annual basis alongside rates.

Each year through the council's annual plan will look at budgeted costs and what has been measured the previous year to set trade waste fees for the year.

"Really, it's about a year of operating the plant and knowing what the real costs are but we've had enough experts looking at the modelling of the plant to know what it's going to cost to operate," council chief executive Kym Fell said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Council's general finance manager Mike Fermor said the fees were "not insignificant" but was lower than what was being discussed a few years ago.

"So we've worked with them to get a model that is fairer for everybody," Fermor said.

"These have been ongoing discussion with industry. This is about ensuring industry staying in town. We want that (but) we don't want the ratepayer to subsidise industry either.

"I think after two years we're at the right place now."

Discover more

New $1.8 million plant at Tasman Tanning

06 Sep 11:00 PM

The wet industries are minor contributors to wastewater quantities (about 20 per cent of volume) but make a significant contribution to the loads treated by the plant and will be responsible for over half the sludge expected to be produced.

Fell said council had tried to keep costs for the industries down while ensuring they paid a fair share of the capital costs.

"It's not fair for us to put those costs back on to the old lady who lives in Springvale that flushes the toilet once in the morning and once in the afternoon, that's not on, we've got to be fair and equitable."

He said council wanted the industries to have certainty and was hoping to get a statement of methodology passed by councillors which meant council would have to start talking to industry before any future changes.

"We don't want a new bunch of councillors to come in and change the game on them," Fell said.

Affco and Tasman Tanning have been contacted for comment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'Out of order': Victoria Uni academic apologises for 'hanging' comment

The Country

'Herding cars': Farmer praised for helping motorists after crash

The Country

'A magnetic leader': Kendra Monteith leading future foresters in Tairāwhiti


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'Out of order': Victoria Uni academic apologises for 'hanging' comment
The Country

'Out of order': Victoria Uni academic apologises for 'hanging' comment

Dr Mike Joy has apologised for 'tongue-in-cheek' suggestion of hanging dairy chiefs.

04 Sep 03:18 AM
'Herding cars': Farmer praised for helping motorists after crash
The Country

'Herding cars': Farmer praised for helping motorists after crash

04 Sep 02:37 AM
'A magnetic leader': Kendra Monteith leading future foresters in Tairāwhiti
The Country

'A magnetic leader': Kendra Monteith leading future foresters in Tairāwhiti

04 Sep 02:00 AM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP