SDC builds case for wastewater plan

The Te Anau community will continue to be involved in the decision regarding the upgrade of their wastewater facilities.

At a Southland District Council meeting on Friday, it was decided the Te Anau Wastewater Discharge Project Committee would continue to be consulted in the decisionmaking process.

Cr Ebel Kremer said following the committee’s recommendation to council in November, there had been a lack of clarity about how it would be involved in the future.

‘‘The community has done what it was asked to do, and has made a recommendation’’, Kremer said. ‘‘Since then that committee has been sitting in limbo, not knowing what their role has been over the past few months ... we need to de- fine what that committee’s role is.’’

The council agreed to revise the committee’s terms of reference, so it would be able to be involved in the next stage of the process.

The council’s finance and auditing committee and services and assets committee would also be involved in making recommendations before the decision went to the council.

The council is considering three options to upgrade Te Anau’s wastewater discharge facilities, before the current consent to discharge wastewater into the Upukerora River November 2020.

A site has been selected in Manapouri, adjacent to Te Anau Airport, which will require the construction of an 18km pipeline from treatment plant in Te Anau.

Council’s recommended option involves discharge by centre pivot irrigation, with the installation of a trickling filter to reduce odour risks, and is expected to cost $14 million.

However, the Te Anau Wastewater Discharge Project Committee has recommended using a runs out in sub-surface irrigation system, as well as adding the membrane filter to treat the wastewater.

Current council estimates for the cost of this option are at $21m.

At the meeting, council chief executive Steve Ruru also updated the council on the work being done in preparation for the council’s final decision on the proposal.

Ruru said since the initial decision was made in December, progress had been made in a range of different areas.

This included detailed design work for the reticulation system through to the Kepler Block in Manapouri, and surveying of the route from Te Anau, Ruru said.

Further work had been done on evaluating sub-surface drip irrigation as an alternative disposal method, including some conceptual designs for a sub-surface drip irrigation model, Ruru said.

Divers find body

Police divers yesterday found a body at Omanawa Falls near Tauranga. They were yet to identify the man and said retrieving the body from the 70-metre-deep ravine was proving a problem. Waikato University confirmed the man, who went missing about 3pm on Sunday, was a student. At least two fellow students were with the man swimming at the picturesque waterfall south of Tauranga. He was understood to be an international student. The man failed to surface after spending time swimming and taking photos at the waterfall. Tauranga City Council spokesman Warren Aitken said a gate blocking access to the falls had been cut. He said keeping people out of the falls was an ongoing challenge, as social media promoted the location as being picturesque with no mention of the risks. The only way to access the site is to climb over fences. Some people climb down sheer cliff faces using roots as handholds.

Homicide inquiry

A homicide investigation is under way after a man in his 50s was found dead at a property in Whanganui about 6.40pm on Sunday. Detective Inspector Ross McKay said a second man in his 50s was found to have suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital.

Measles alert

Passengers on a flight to Auckland from Kuala Lumpur may have been exposed to measles. Auckland Regional Public Health Service said travellers who arrived at Auckland International Airport on Malaysia Airlines MH133 from Kuala Lumpur at 11pm on Sunday, April 15, may be at risk. The service has been contacting passengers seated in rows 28 to 44, closest to the infectious person, to check their immunity and advise on further action. However, other passengers on the flight may have been infected on the plane, at the gate or at the baggage claim. The royal commission of inquiry into historical abuse in state care has received more than 200 submissions on the inquiry’s draft terms of reference, with one week till they close. The inquiry was set up to look into historical abuse of those who were in the care of the state. Inquiry chairman Sir Anand Satyanand said the four main areas of feedback were on the scope and purpose of the inquiry, suitable reference to the Treaty of Waitangi, the probe’s timeline, and what constituted ‘‘state care’’.

Columnist apologises

Commentator Matthew Hooton has apologised for a column about former finance minister Steven Joyce. Hooton said the NBR article ‘‘could reasonably be understood to suggest that the Hon Steven Joyce had engaged in unethical, dishonest and/ or corrupt behaviour during his tenure as a minister in the previous National Government. Nothing in the column was intended to convey such suggestions, which would be untrue’’. Joyce confirmed the apology was part of a legal settlement.

Minister visits Taranaki

Energy Minister Megan Woods travelled to New Plymouth yesterday to meet oil and gas industry leaders for the first time since the Government announced policy to end future offshore permits. Woods visited Methanex, which produces methanol and consumes about 46 per cent of the country’s gas. Methanex is heavily dependent on an extension of its existing gas permit and has ordered four new methanol-capable vessels. Woods was tight-lipped on what was discussed.