Call for immediate decommissioning of sewage plant on Banks Peninsula

A local rūnanga of Canterbury's Banks Peninsula is calling on authorities to urgently press ahead with long-awaited plans to decommission a sewage plant off a culturally sensitive site.

The Akaroa township's wastewater has been treated and discharged into a harbour near the historic Takapūneke Reserve for more than half a century.

Takapūneke is the scene of the Elizabeth Affair massacre of the 1830s, where hundreds were killed, and is considered tapu.

Despite its historic importance, a treatment plant was constructed on the site in the 1960s, alongside a landfill.

Although the dump had been removed, the treatment plant is still in use today.

Christchurch City Council has proposed a new treatment plant north of Akaroa, next to the water supply reservoir on Old Coach Road.

The scheme would involve wastewater leaving the plant to be treated and then used to irrigate neighbouring farmland and native trees and plants at Hammond Point and Robinson's Bay.

The proposal has been met with opposition by the community group Friends of Banks Peninsula, who believe the new system is too costly and technically flawed.

Ōnuku Rūnanga chair Rik Tainui said, under the current treatment system, raw sewage was entering the harbour several times a year.

"The new proposal will limit and reduce that happening and that's what we're after," he said.

"We know there is no perfect system.

"I think the real issue for the residents of the Robinson's Bay community who have really pushed back against the council's proposal is where it's going.

"I strongly agree with the council's experts."

The matter has been a long-standing one, plagued by difficulties.

The council was granted consent in 2015 to build a new treatment plant on Old Coach Road, alongside a new pump station nearby and to upgrade wastewater pipes and connections.

However, a consent to build a new outfall pipe into Akaroa Harbour was declined because the council - as it described - had not adequately investigated alternatives, and a harbour discharge was considered offensive to Ngāi Tahu.

'Incredibly frustrating'

Tainui said the saga had been "incredibly frustrating" for his whānau.

"For Ngāi Tahu and for us at home, [Takapūneke] is our Waitangi.

"What happened there in the 1830s was a catalyst for the Treaty of Waitangi, so it's really significant.

"Thank goodness we're coming out the other side."

The council had carried out pipe upgrades in 2019 and 2020, which was detailed in the proposal report completed by engineering consultancy firm Beca.

It found 78 percent of the town's 2023 winter wastewater flow was leakage, where stormwater and groundwater was getting into the pipes.

The council has applied to the Canterbury Regional Council for several resource consents for the proposed $93m scheme with the first hearings held in November.

It had generated more than 100 submissions to the consenting process.

Opponents note 'shortfalls' in proposed scheme

In its submission, Friends of Bank's Peninsula referred to several "shortfalls" around the scheme, including climate change, the cost and complexity of its operation and capacity in managing flows and predicted overflows.

"The application is inconsistent with numerous relevant planning and policy documents, it fails to safeguard the life supporting capacity of water and ecosystems and does not recognise and provide for matters of national importance as required under the [Resource Management Act]."

Tainui said messaging promoted by the group was "delaying urgently needed protection" of Akaroa Harbour.

"They're saying 'sanity not sewage overflows', but what they want allows regular harbour discharging to continue.

"That's far from sane for a community that values boating, kayaking, and receives economic return from wildlife tours."

The Friends of Bank's Peninsula have set up a Givealittlepage to raise funds for "expert engineering and legal advice".

It has received more than $4000 so far.

The next hearings are scheduled for 28-29 January.