New quarry pit proposed
Stevenson Aggregates is asking locals to have their say on a new pit at its Drury quarry at consultation sessions in Ramarama this month.
Stevenson, which owns and operates the quarry in Drury, also owns an appropriately zoned plot of land next to the pit, where a new pit could go.
The current pit is near the end of its 100-year lifespan. For Auckland to maintain the supply of aggregate it needs to keep growing, it needs a new pit, general manager of Stevenson Aggregate, Kurt Hine said.
Based on demand, the new pit could provide aggregate for another 30 to 40 years, with the current quarry scheduled to be closed between 2042 and 2047. It would generate about 185 million tonnes of rock, equivalent to over 700,000 homes at around 250 tonnes per home, Hine said.
As Auckland’s growth spreads towards Pukekohe, Drury and the rest of the Franklin district, Hine said keeping aggregate supply local, instead of trucking it in from Huntly or further afield, will be better for the road network and the climate.
According to the New Zealand Aggregate and Quarry Association, the price of aggregate doubles every 30km further away from its source.
Hine said rather than go to Auckland Council for resource consent, and then turn to the community for input, Stevenson is going to the people first. ‘‘Given that we are part of the Drury community and hope to be for decades to come, we wanted to start talking to our neighbours and other interested people as early as we can,’’ he said.
‘‘At this stage, we are revealing our early plans and direction of travel. We are keen to understand and allay concerns about the project and answer all questions that we can.’’
Key projects the new pit would provide materials for include the Auckland light rail network and city rail link.
The outdoor consultation sessions are at Ramarama Hall until until March 27. There may
The price of fuel and other input costs is having a direct impact on rural communities and those trying to make an additional income from a lifestyle block, says one south Auckland lifestyler.
Karaka lifestyle block owner Stuart Barnett, who runs livestock on about 5 hectares, said the price of fuel in particular was becoming a challenge.
Barnett had a daily commute of about 45 minutes to work from his Karaka property into Penrose.
‘‘It is remarkable how the price of fuel has increased, even over the past week. There has been a constant increase over the past 18 months. It seems to have started with the introduction of the new regional fuel tax.’’
Barnett, who with his wife Jennifer and children Isabella and Oliver, have been on the lifestyle block for 13 years, says fuel costs are now becoming a considerable part of their weekly budget.
He recently bought 150 bales of hay to help feed his six head of cattle and six sheep through winter. A bale of hay used to cost him between $5 and $6, depending on the season, but could now cost between $10 and $20.
‘‘Prices have gone up over the past weeks,’’ he says. ‘‘No one is being predatory. It’s just a flow-on effect. The contractor that cuts the hay has increased their prices because they have increasing fuel, wage and operating costs.’’
Barnett said many neighbours who were also on lifestyle blocks were now leasing paddocks as they were faced with increasing costs, or were simply tired of ongoing calculations of whether the cost of running livestock was sustainable. ‘‘The practical aspects of being a hobby farmer have become hard.’’
But he says the lifestyle is a form of relaxation for him and his family.
‘It is an opportunity to exercise my mind in a different way, I’m riding a tractor, mowing lawns, moving animals, fixing things animals break, it tests your brain. The opportunities we have had in the community are priceless. The children attend ag days or hand rear lambs.’’
He believes the costs for especially young working couples to make such investments have increased drastically with the increases in land cost being artificial. A contributing factor was that parcels of land in Karaka and Pukekohe were being sold for enormous prices to developers to provide sustainable houses or subdivisions.
Lifestyle or farm-type operating costs like drench had increased in the past two years. ‘‘Such costs are tagged as being the result of supply chain issues, or because more raw ingredients are imported. Prices have gone up but none at the same rate as fuel,’’ he said.
ANZ agriculture economist Susan Kilsby earlier said that lifestyle block owners were often exposed to higher costs than farmers when buying inputs for livestock or horticulture production, as a certain amount of scale was needed to justify infrastructure spending. This often meant groups of lifestyle block owners had to band together to balance costs or had to find an investor.
Inputs were often aimed at large producers. Drench packs for livestock often came in large quantities, meaning a lifestyler pays for something they won’t fully use, Kilsby said. be more consultations in the future, Hine said.
Guests should wear masks and practise social distancing. They may be asked to show vaccine passes.
Angela Fulljames, deputy chairperson of the Franklin Local Board, commended Stevenson Aggregates for opting for a more informal, locals-focused approach. ‘‘I think Stevenson are going about it the right way in terms of reaching out to the community and meeting with neighbours.’
Fulljames said she suspected the community would be unbothered by the additional pit – some ‘‘may not even be aware’’ of the change given it’s not a new site – but will be grateful for the consideration.
Franklin Local Board member Alan Cole understands why the new pit is being considered from a financial standpoint.
‘‘To bring aggregate from outside Auckland we’re looking at almost double the cost. It has to come from somewhere, and so the closer it can come from within Auckland, the better,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s good that they’re going out and talking to the neighbours and the community. It’s such a longestablished site already, it will be interesting to see what the public actually think about it.’’
Fulton Hogan, which owns Stevenson Aggregate Ltd, bought the company and existing quarry from Stevenson Group in 2018.
Meanwhile, Stevenson Group is continuing its separate massive development project next door to the quarry – a 361-hectare industrial park and residential development, Drury South Crossing.