13 November 2012

Council to Investigate Reticulated Wastewater for Pokeno

The Waikato District Council is to begin assessing the options for installing a reticulated wastewater system in Pokeno.

“We have a lot of development taking place on the outskirts of Pokeno, which includes the building of new wastewater infrastructure. It’s therefore timely to look at options to extend this to existing properties which are on septic tanks,” Water and Facilities general manager Richard Bax said.

A number of the septic tanks in Pokeno may not be functioning in an environmentally efficient manner due to their age and the land area available for soakage, raising the potential for groundwater to become contaminated and impact on public health, Mr Bax said.

The first stage of the project involves council engineering staff assessing the potential solutions and likely costs. Once these have been established the council will consult with the local community on the best long term solution. This is expected to take place in early 2013.

Replacing Pokeno’s septic tanks with reticulated wastewater was one of the projects outlined in the council’s Long Term Plan, released earlier this year.

The area covered by the project includes the village centre, Pokeno School, residential houses between State Highway 1 and the railway, from the motorway off-ramp up to Helenslee Road as well as properties along Hitchen Road up to the existing wooden bridge.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>