Water  |  13 Mar 2025

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Christchurch City Council is set to explore the impact of wastewater standards being finalised this year on alternative methods for the disposal of treated wastewater as part of Akaroa’s future wastewater scheme.

The Hearing for the Council’s resource consent application to establish and operate an irrigation to land wastewater treatment scheme was put on hold last month at the Council’s request after Commissioners asked the Council, Environment Canterbury and Ōnuku Runanga a large number of questions about the scheme. The scheme proposes using treated wastewater to irrigate Council-owned land at Robinsons Bay and Hammond Point. 

The Council requested the Hearing was paused to allow time to address these questions and to re-investigate alternative treated wastewater disposal methods raised by submitters.

The Commissioners informed the Council that the Hearing could not resume until May due to the availability of the Hearing Panel. They also said that they are likely to adjourn the hearing until the Council lodges its discharge resource consent application for releases of treated wastewater into Akaroa Harbour, to be assessed alongside its irrigation to land consent application. The Council currently intends to discharge into the harbour when irrigation and storage facility capacity are exceeded.

The Council today responded to Commissioners advising that it doesn’t oppose pausing the Hearing until the discharge consent application for treated wastewater release to harbour is lodged.

The Council also indicated that it intends to again review the alternatives to the current application that have been proposed by submitters. The Council prefers to do that review in the context of new wastewater standards and changes to the Resource Management Act that the government intends to enact this year. 

Council’s Head of Three Waters Gavin Hutchison says it’s important to understand the impact the upcoming law changes will have when considering the proposed and alternative methods to dispose of treated wastewater. 

“The government has signalled law changes are coming around mandatory wastewater standards for discharge to water, land and overflows. This has implications for how alternative methods to dispose of treated wastewater are assessed, and we will want to know the new law before assessing these alternatives. These laws are expected to take effect later this year.  While the disposal options are being assessed, we’ll be continuing with the design of a new treatment plant which will still be required to disestablish wastewater infrastructure from the culturally sensitive Takapūneke site”.

Alternative methods that may be reconsidered by the Council could include controlled harbour discharge combined with land irrigation, ocean outfall and injection of treated wastewater into the ground. At present, treated wastewater from Akaroa is discharged into Akaroa Harbour at Redhouse Bay via a 100-metre-long pipeline. 

Mr Hutchison says that the potential delay may be unsettling for the community.

“We understand that this timeframe may cause doubt and frustration for residents and mana whenua in Akaroa and surrounding communities. However, it would be irresponsible for us as a Council to investigate alternative disposal methods without considering the impacts of the new national standards.”

Although there has been a delay with the Hearing, in the meantime preparations will continue on Council-owned land at Robinson Bay and Hammond Point for irrigation to land by doing more native plantings that will help increase biodiversity in the area. Planting will consist of around 130,000 Kanuka and 33,000 other native species. These have been grown from seedlings, and they have reached the stage where planting is essential for their continued growth.

A resource consent is not required for the tree planting and the cooler months are the best time of the year to get plants in the ground.