Work to complete Stage 1 of the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme has resumed.

To enable work to re-start, a section of Tarawera Road was temporarily closed from 8pm last night (24 February) to 6.40am today while the work site near Lake Rotokākahi was re-established.

One lane reopened at 6.40am today with traffic management in place and motorists are advised to expect delays.

NZ Police remain on site to ensure the safety of all involved including workers, members of the public and the protestors.

Seven people were arrested last night for breaching the court’s injunction conditions and trespassing after they refused to leave the work site.

Work site fencing has been erected and contractors have started drilling today.

Rotorua Lakes Council General Manager Infrastructure and Assets, Stavros Michael, acknowledged the majority of protestors at the site last night who protested peacefully, engaged with council and police staff and helped to get vehicles moved away from the work site.

He says Council respects people’s right to peaceful protest but must also ensure the safety of all for the re-start of work.

It is expected to take about four weeks to finish the remaining pipeline work and CCTV, Police and security will be on site to ensure the safety of all. Staff and contractors aim to have the work completed as soon as possible.

The pipeline is being laid in the existing road corridor and the closest point to Lake Rotokākahi is 17 metres.

The type of pipe being used has a 100-year lifespan and has been reliably used in Rotorua for 15 years without any failures.

Mitigation measures have been introduced to help alleviate concerns about the pipeline’s location including:

• Double sleeving of the section of pipeline being laid 2 metres underneath the concrete culverts of the Wairoa stream.
• A pou tikanga (cultural monitor) appointed by mana whenua to observe the final stage of the reticulation pipeline to give our contractors guidance.
• Establishing procedures whereby any early warning signals for pipeline faults will trigger a pump station pause and alert nominated mana whenua representatives.
• Participation of mana whenua representatives in any remedial actions if required
• Council will include financial resources in its budget to undertake remedial work if required.
• Council will work with mana whenua nominated representatives to establish a long-term mana whenua response group, with a wider and long-term scope of monitoring the performance of the reticulation network and future planning for the Tarawera catchment.

Measures will also be taken to ensure people continue to have access to their whenua and the lake while the work is carried out.

The purpose of the Tarawera scheme, which will connect about 450 current properties to a new reticulated sewerage system, is to protect the health of the community, the lake and downstream catchments.

“Rotorua Lakes Council recognises the significance of the area to iwi and mana whenua and the importance of all lakes in the district,” Mr Michael says.

“This is the reason Council has and continues to invest in improving water health in our lakes.

“We appreciate the efforts of iwi and mana whenua for engaging in hui to discuss their concerns about the work being carried out by Lake Rotokākahi since the project was paused,” Mr Michael said.

“Everyone has the right to protest and we respect those at the site who have said this is a peaceful kaupapa.”

Without the scheme, wastewater from septic tanks will continue to leach through groundwater into Lake Tarawera.

The project has been the result of extensive community consideration since 2015, including discussion with and input from iwi and hapū. Arriving at the preferred option followed careful and balanced consideration of all technical, cultural, financial, and planning factors by a community-led committee that included mana whenua representatives.

The installation of pipework under Tarawera Road and the mains pump stations, which began in March 2023, is almost finished with about 1.3km of pipe still to be installed near Lake Rotokākahi.

The works were paused last year following obstruction by protesters and further engagement with iwi and mana whenua was carried out to address concerns raised.

To ensure the safety of contractors and work sites and avoid further delays that could impact the health of the lake and would have cost implications for the community, council applied for an injunction so works could continue safely.

The injunction, which was granted in the Rotorua District Court prevents anyone from obstructing or interfering with the installation of the pipeline along Tarawera Road or entering the work zone without authorisation from the council or its contractors.

Background

• In 2015, Rotorua Lakes Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the Te Arawa Lakes Trust and the community began exploring options to protect the water quality of Lake Tarawera.
• The Lake Tarawera Sewerage Steering Committee, which included representatives from Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi, Māori landowners, Lake Tarawera Ratepayers Association, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council, was formed.
• In 2018, the committee looked at a number of options for better sewerage management and opted for the option to install low-pressure grinder pumps onto properties and to connect these to a new reticulated sewer system to Rotorua’s main treatment plant via Tarawera Road.
• Two Cultural Impact Assessments and an Archaeological Report were commissioned to assess the potential impacts of the scheme.
• Iwi and mana whenua indicated that there were a range of cultural impacts likely to result from the installation of a wastewater treatment system but that the negative effects of sewage on the mauri of Lake Tarawera was the most significant impact and something needed to be done urgently.
• The archaeological report identified that previous modifications on the road corridor significantly reduced the likelihood of the presence of any significant archaeological features in the path of the pipeline.
• Rotorua Lakes Council adopted the project following a request from the Lake Tarawera Sewerage Steering Committee in 2020.

Note:

17 Feb update: Date set for work on Tarawera Sewerage Scheme to re-start - Rotorua Lakes Council

Project page: Tarawera Sewerage Scheme - Rotorua Lakes Council

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