Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Plastic In Waterways Criticised By Regional Council

With the clean-up of plastic found in the Tauherenikau River in August nearing the halfway mark, the focus for Greater Wellington now turns to stopping rubbish being dumped in waterways across the region.

Greater Wellington deputy chair and Wairarapa Councillor, Adrienne Staples says while the dumping occurred on private property, its consequences affect the wider community and highlight the need for greater community awareness about the problem.

“I appreciate that this rubbish was not dumped deliberately along the river but rather as a result of high rainfall, however the outcome is the same. The Tauherenikau is a real taonga (treasure) for the Wairarapa so I’m calling on everyone in the community to take care of their rivers, routinely advocate for the sustainable and environmentally conscious disposal of waste, and hold each other to account when people mistreat our waterways and wildlife,” says Cr Staples.

In the Wellington region the responsibility for the management of waste is shared between city and district councils. Greater Wellington always encourages the environmentally sound disposal of waste, which is crucial to supporting regional sustainability.

The plastic found floating in the water and entangled in driftwood needed an excavator and a dump truck to pick up the larger pieces of plastic, followed by an expensive, time consuming, manual clean-up of the remaining smaller pieces.

“The real cost is on the environment and our communities. To add insult to injury these clean ups take away valuable time from our flood protection teams who have more important tasks in protecting our communities and businesses from future flood events,” says Cr Staples.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Caring local community members offered to help with the clean-up but had to be turned away due to the specialist training and numerous risks involved with water based work.

Despite the good work so far, the erosion of the river berm, where plastic had been dumped and buried, needs more attention. Significant flood protection work is underway on the private land, alongside work to protect the affected berm to ensure no further rubbish enters the river.

Hamish Fenwick, Section Leader of Operations Delivery in the Wairarapa says, “It is a carefully staged approach. In the short term, we protect the affected berm site with gravel. Engineers will design and construct a solution to protect the site with rocks without impacting the natural character of the waterway in any significant way.”

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.