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Anti-tip appeals get to court A lengthy hearing against Waste Management NZ’s (WM) resource consent for a new regional landfill in the Dome Valley started in the Environment Court on June 20, with four days of opening submissions. Lead Judge Jeff Smith made it clear from the start that the case would be long and complex, and said the nine weeks originally set aside over the next five months was ambitious. He also made it clear that he had extensive knowledge of landfills and how they operated, having presided over several cases in the past, most recently fining Rotorua Lakes Council last year over a leachate spill. After challenging WM counsel Balthazar Matheson on several issues, including the site’s capacity, its potential longevity and WM’s ability to prevent leachate leaks, Smith warned him that “this is not my first rodeo”. When Matheson said WM expert witnesses would show why the company was confident that there would be no breach in the landfill’s polyethylene liner, Smith said water unexpectedly leaking or spilling from such sites had been “a major area of failing” in recent years. “The same thing was said to me at Rotorua, and yet it occurred,” he said. “We were told the same thing at Kate Valley. I would like to know which landfills have performed to that level.” Smith also wanted to know whether WM was intending to use the new landfill for rubbish from Kaipara, Whangarei and Northland Councils in future and whether those had been included in the calculation of waste volumes, and whether the landfill was the first stage in a much larger long-term scheme. (WM’s original brochure publicising its plans showed a possible future second valley on the map.) The court heard that since the granting of resource consent in June last year, WM was planning new fenced pest exclusion areas and a pest eradication plan, new native revegetation and wetland areas, extra riparian planting and plans to continued on page 2
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Rodney Local Board members Phelan Pirrie and Beth Houlbrooke did the honours of returning the first sod when the Community Transport Hub was officially opened last Thursday. They were assisted by Ngati Manuhiri cultural advisor Kaumātua Carmen Hetaraka. See story page 3.
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