Wastewater saga drains confidence

Jack Bullock

A WHANGANUI district councillor wants to see a Crown-appointed manager take charge of the replacement of the district's defunct wastewater treatment plant.

Jack Bullock says he is losing confidence that the council can deal with the "ever-growing" saga over the wastewater treatment plant.

On March 9, the council voted for a new plant to be built at a cost of what is now around $42 million.

Mr Bullock did not vote as he was absent from the meeting, and there was only one hand raised in opposition - that of Charlie Anderson.

However, that decision has not stopped the debate, with various cheaper alternatives being suggested and, most significantly, two of the city's major industries which contribute the bulk of the waste saying they could not afford the costs of being part of the new plant.

In a letter to the Chronicle, councillor Bullock says: "This issue is far beyond a council to deal with now and further heightened with community unrest, loss of confidence, misinformation, inadequate reporting and withholding of reports ... that's just a brief summary of the problem."

Calling for a Crown-appointed manager, he says: "Experts say another expert is wrong, another well-qualified expert then comes along with a proposal but then others say it won't work. This whole issue here is getting worse by the day.

"I have lost confidence in the process, the people involved and really am at an end as to what's right and who is right. Intervention is required."