Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke Inc, Rāpaki, and the Rāpaki Tangata Tiaki are deeply concerned and angered by further sewage discharges into Whakaraupō and the continued failure to properly notify mana whenua.

In the most recent incident at Ōhinetahi (Governors Bay), there was approximately a 16-hour delay between City Care contractors being on-site and mana whenua being informed. This delay is unacceptable and represents a serious failure by Christchurch City Council to adhere to established communication and notification protocols.

Whakaraupō is a Statutory Acknowledgement Area and a taonga of immense cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance to Ngāti Wheke, Rāpaki. Timely and specific notification of all wastewater discharges is not optional — it is a fundamental obligation grounded in statutory recognition, environmental law, and the principles of partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Equally concerning is the fact that Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke were not notified about the following additional incidents:

• The breakage of a return valve at Sandy Beach on Tuesday 17 February, which reportedly resulted in a significant discharge of raw sewage into Whakaraupō at that location.
• The Governor’s Bay Jetty Pump Station overflow on Monday 16 February, which discharged raw sewage directly into Whakaraupō at that location.

These incidents, and the failure to proactively notify mana whenua, demonstrate a troubling pattern of inadequate communication and systemic governance failure.

This situation does not stand alone. Ongoing wastewater issues at Corsair Bay, Te Waipapa (Diamond Harbour), and Lyttelton now firmly identify serious infrastructure concerns across the harbour catchment. These repeated failures raise urgent questions about asset integrity/system infrastructure, system monitoring, risk management, and regulatory oversight.

The consistent lack of transparency and failure to proactively disclose material environmental information has significantly undermined trust and compromised meaningful engagement with Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, Rāpaki. Engagement cannot be genuine when critical information about pollution events is withheld or delayed.

As Kaitiaki of Whakaraupō, Rāpaki Tangata Tiaki and Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke expect:

• Immediate disclosure of the volume, duration, and cause of each discharge
• Release of all technical data, including event logs and monitoring records
• A full explanation as to why notification protocols were not followed
• Confirmation of all remedial actions undertaken to date
• A comprehensive review of wastewater infrastructure resilience across the harbour catchment
• A formal commitment to transparent, real-time communication with mana whenua going forward

Whakaraupō is not simply a receiving environment for wastewater. It is an ancestral harbour, a mahinga kai, and a living taonga handed down through generations. The health of these waters is directly connected to the health and wellbeing of our people and all communities and people who enjoy connecting with Whakaraupō.

The delays in full notification put our whānau and hapū members and our local communities at risk, as they may have gathered kaimoana, undertaken customary activities or swum in affected areas without knowledge of potential contamination, exposing them to avoidable public health risk. As an immediate step Rāpaki Tangata Tiaki have also issued a seven day Rāhui (effective 21.2.26) and no-one should gather food from or swim in the harbour during this time.

The pattern of infrastructure failures, inadequate monitoring, and delayed disclosure demonstrates systemic governance issues that must now be addressed at Chief Executive and governance level.

Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke are urgently seeking a joint meeting with the Chief Executives of Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury. We are also actively considering further regulatory and legal options in light of continued compliance failures and the ongoing breakdown of partnership obligations.

Mana whenua will not accept being informed after the fact when our waters are being polluted by paru.

We call on both agencies to publicly account for these failures and to immediately restore transparent, accountable engagement with Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke and the Rāpaki Tangata Tiaki.

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