Summary of Engagement and Consultation for the Rotoma/Rotoiti Sewerage Scheme

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1 Summary of Engagement and Consultation for the Rotoma/Rotoiti Sewerage Scheme Overview The community has played an active role in developing the wastewater scheme. Community input has been far beyond passive response to consultation. From the initial proposal of options to be considered, right through to drafting of the resource consent application, the community, or their representatives, have been fully involved. The process was collaborative with Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BoPRC) representatives working together with community representatives, and was in no way top-down. The key elements in the engagement process were the Rotoma/Rotoiti Sewerage Steering Committee (RRSSC), its sub-committee and its technical advisory group (TAG.) Strong direct input from the community was received throughout. The work had a solid technical base through the TAG. The community gave overwhelming support to the proposals and recommendations of RRSSC. The preferred option of RRSSC was adopted by Rotorua Lakes Council, incorporated into its Long Term Plan (LTP), and given massive support in consultation on the Plan. That level of support has continued in consultation right through to August 2016 as the resource consent application was prepared. Origin of the engagement process The process of developing a wastewater scheme started with the Environment Court judgement on a previous proposal. The Court was severe in its criticism of Rotorua District Council. The manner in which the earlier proposal had been handled, together with evidence adduced in the hearings, led to considerable bitterness and division in the community. Trust in the Rotorua District Council was severely damaged. So the District Council decided to start again and approach the preparation of the wastewater scheme in a different way. Collaboration with the community was to be the basis of the work. The earlier court judgement was a founding document for the work that followed. Objectors to the previous proposal were brought into the process and played a key role. Rotoma/Rotoiti Sewerage Steering Committee The RRSSC had its first meeting on 2 December The committee had no statutory basis and its role was advisory. However, the attitude of Rotorua Lakes Council empowered the community to take a full part in the process of developing the scheme. The committee comprised representatives as follows: seven Ngāti Pikiao marae Ngāti Makino three groups of Maori Land Trusts three ratepayer associations Ngāti Pikiao Environmental Association Rotorua Lakes Council (Deputy Mayor and water managers) BOPRC (councillor and staff) 1

2 Ministry of Health (advisory role) The iwi representation, as well as Ngāti Pikiao, included Ngāti Makino and Ngāti Rongomai and included the marae from Tapuaekura a Hatupatu to Tapuaeharuru. Iwi representatives played a significant role in leadership of the RRSSC. Reflecting its membership, meetings were held at a community hall, marae, and council offices. The RRSSC set its goals and assessed various options against these goals. The chair of RRSSC was elected by the committee and when the committee decided not to appoint a separate facilitator, carried out the functions of facilitator. Timing of major RRSSC work developing and assessing options with the help of the TAG; consulting on options with the community; and making recommendations to Rotorua Lakes Council (November.) assisting in LTP consultation and awaiting outcome; awaiting site negotiations and investigation; assisting setting up the Biolytix trial; and working through options for Ngamotu (Doctors Point.) continuing consultation, working with authors of CIAs, making recommendations after approval of site, provision of input to the Resource Consent application. Cultural input Throughout the process, cultural input was provided by iwi representatives on the RRSSC. Dr Morgan provided cultural advice to the TAG. Iwi held hui in late 2014 to endorse an iwi Position Statement and Cultural Impact Summary. Later, the authors of the formal Cultural Impact Assessments for the resource consent application joined the RRSSC and subcommittee. Community role in development of options A workshop was held in May 2014 to obtain community feedback on potential options. Some 45 people attended, well representing different groups in the community. Options were advanced by Rotorua Lakes Council and also by objectors to the previous scheme proposal. In workshop sessions, the options were discussed and at the close of the workshop, some preliminary conclusions were drawn. The workshop provided part of the basis of future TAG work. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The output from the work of the TAG was an integral part of the engagement with the community. It ensured that the consideration of the options by the community was on a reliable technical base. 2

3 Field Trips Members of the RRSSC were joined by people from the community and undertook four field trips visiting: Across the full extent of the scheme area. To inspect wastewater treatment and disposal at Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Te Puke, Maketu, Tirau and Turangi. To see the manufacture of Biolytix units in Auckland and their use on Waiheke. Consultation meetings/hui As well as the workshop, ten meetings/hui were held specifically to engage with and inform the community. They were held at the community hall at Rotoma, the Rotoiti Sports Club, and on marae. Numbers attending ranged from about 40 to 80 people. The first series of meetings/hui were held in July 2014 to present and discuss options as worked though by the TAG. The meetings/hui in April 2015 presented and discussed the proposals in the Rotorua Lakes Council LTP. The most recent meetings/hui in August 2016 were designed to encourage feedback on the proposals in the resource consent application. In addition to these hui, three hui were held with owners of the Haumingi 9B3B land which is the proposed site for treatment and disposal of treated wastewater. Some five or six hui were held with those affected or potentially affected by the Biolytix trial. Hui of owners of Haumingi 9B3B block The first of the three hui was held on 14 June 2015 and was attended by about 40 owners or their whanau. This is believed to be the best attended meeting of these owners ever. The purpose of the first hui was to endorse Trustees entering into negotiations with Rotorua Lakes Council to site the treatment plant and disposal field on Haumingi 9B3B. After hearing reports on the proposed scheme, its expected impact on the block, and on the impact on the Trust s forestry operations, considerable discussion ensued. Finally, a motion was passed by consensus approving the Trustees negotiating details of an agreement without prejudice with the Rotorua Lakes Council to build wastewater treatment facilities on Block 9B3B, with a final decision to be made by a further meeting of owners. A second meeting of owners was held to approve the draft document which the Trust s negotiators had negotiated with Rotorua Lakes Council. That document was approved. On 21 August 2016, a meeting of owners met and unanimously agreed that the Trustees should enter into a full agreement based on the Heads of Agreement. All meetings of owners were well advertised. 3

4 The options Information on the list of options prepared by the TAG was distributed to the community. Feedback was sought. Responses were overwhelmingly in favour of a reticulated system. There was hardly any support for separate treatment plants at Lake Rotoma and Lake Rotoiti, and so the RRSSC decided to ask the TAG to drop this option from the list under consideration. The final list of option presented by the TAG contained an options of using Biolytix units to connect houses to the reticulation system. This was in response to the strong wish by some from the iwi to at least partially treat wastewater on-site before it entered the reticulation system. This use of Biolytix units was untried, and hence would not meet Rotorua Lakes Council requirements until it was tested in a trial. The RRSSC therefore considered a further compromise which became the Preferred Option. Preferred option The option recommended by RRSSC to Rotorua Lakes Council as the Preferred Option had the following features: A modern MBR treatment plant locally in the scheme area, discharging to a land treatment system nearby. Houses at Rotoma connected to the reticulation piping by grinder (LPG) pumps. A trial of Biolytix units (or similar) carried out for Rotoiti. If successful, houses there would be connected through these units to reticulated piping and the scheme treatment plant. If the trial is unsuccessful, LPG pumps would be used. Extra subsidy The affordability of the preferred option was an issue for the RRSSC, especially since the area is mostly in the more deprived deciles. Hence approval of the preferred option by the community was uncertain with the estimated costs and subsidies. It was therefore decided to approach both Rotorua Lakes Council and BOPRC seeking extra subsidy. Rotorua Lakes Council leadership indicated that it was not in a position to provide more subsidy in view of the resources already committed and the districtwide demand for spending on wastewater. With help from community leaders, a case was made to BOPRC. BOPRC were receptive and agreed to an extra subsidy of $4 million. Recommendation to Rotorua Lakes Council and LTP process RRSSC recommended to Rotorua Lakes Council that the preferred option be adopted by Rotorua Lakes Council. The Council accepted the recommendation and included it in their draft LTP. Wastewater projects were highlighted in the draft LTP as distributed for public consultation. Others, as well as East Rotoiti/Rotoma, were included. RRSSC assisted with the drafting of informative material and the holding of public meetings. 4

5 On this issue, 217 responses were received. None opposed the East Rotoiti/Rotoma project being included in the LTP. Community information Informing the community throughout was done by RRSSC and Rotorua Lakes Council working together. Information was distributed to the community in the scheme area for several purposes: To inform and update the community about proposals and progress. To invite people to engagement meetings/hui. To seek feedback of community views. Multiple methods have been used to contact the community: Four times information has been sent to all ratepayers in the area by post to the addresses on the rating roll. Information brochures have been delivered to every rural delivery box several times. With every distribution, copies have been made available at the Rotoma Postal Centre and three general stores serving the area. Meetings have been advertised by advertisements in newspapers. Community associations have circulated their members. s have been sent to those who initially responded and indicated that they sought further information by . Informal marae networks have been informed about hui. All relevant information and updates on progress of the project were published in the Rotorua Lakes website. The community information programs have sought to make information available to every household. Its success has been indicated by the response rate of written submissions, which is high as compared with public information campaigns and surveys of this kind. Feedback overall The feedback from the community regarding the scheme has been remarkably consistent over two years. In the first round of consultation when views were sought on the various options, reticulated systems were overwhelmingly favoured with less than 2% of respondents not favouring these. Piping back to Rotorua was the most preferred. Rotorua Lakes Council analysis of submissions to the LTP again show overwhelming support for the scheme proposals. At the meetings/hui, there was close to unanimous support for the scheme. At some meetings, two or three people were opposed, and others none voiced opposition. In the most recent engagement with the community in all 2016, of the 125 feedback received, except for five, all the responses were in favour of the scheme. 5

6 During the engagement process, some details of the scheme were the subject of argument. In particular, the use of Biolytix units created considerable discussion, reflecting differing views in the community. Concern was expressed during the consultation process about the cost of the scheme, and particularly its affordability for lower income families. Overall, the scheme had overwhelming support with only a handful of people indicating opposition. Ngamotu (Doctors Point) Ngamotu (Doctors Point) is a peninsula at Lake Rotoiti. On it are some 20 holiday homes. The land, like much of the land around Lake Rotoma, is owned by Rotoma No. 1 incorporation. The holiday homes are occupied over the Christmas holiday period but very little used throughout the rest of the year. Linking these homes to the scheme reticulation presents economic and cultural problems. For this reason, a separate solution for Ngamotu was sought by RRSSC. Representatives of both the landowners and lessees participated in the work of RRSSC while this issue was being discussed. A meeting was held with the trustees of the landowners. Information was circulated to lessees. Rotoehu The communities at Otautu Bay and Kennedy Bay on Lake Rotoehu are not part of the proposed scheme area. Originally they were included because of community feedback, and because of a change in community attitude, sewerage is now likely to be sought for these areas. In view of this, representatives of these Rotoehu communities have attended RRSSC meetings from time to time and have been kept informed. While technical provision will be made for the wastewater from these communities to be dealt with by the scheme wastewater plant, there is no proposal to bring these areas into the currently planned and funded scheme. Sub-committee The RRSSC has done much of its work through a sub-committee of its members. The various community groups and Council comprising the RRSSC are represented on the sub-committee. In particular, the work of the sub-committee has included assisting and facilitating the Biolytix trial, developing and assessing options for Ngamotu, and dealing with implications of the change in site for the treatment plant and disposal area. The sub-committee has also negotiated some minor but contentious issues directly with Rotorua Lakes Council and BOPRC. 6

7 Support Technical, financial and administrative support for the work of the RRSSC has been provided by Rotorua Lakes Council. The members of RRSSC have particularly appreciated the contribution made by management and staff of the Water Directorate in Rotorua Lakes Council. The support of the Deputy Mayor has also been much appreciated. Similarly, support and encouragement from the leadership and staff of BOPRC has been much appreciated Conclusion Engagement with the community over the East Rotoiti/Rotoma sewerage scheme has gone far beyond the level of consultation normally undertaken in local authority projects. Representatives of the community have been involved in making recommendations on all significant aspects of the project and its recommendations have been almost entirely accepted by Rotorua Lakes Council. The community have responded with overwhelming support. Ian McLean Chair Rotoma/Rotoiti Sewerage Steering Committee 7