Water

water MAY 2015 | ISSUE 189

MARCH / APRIL 2021 ISSUE 218

A closer look at infrastructure Award winning solutions in Westport Te Waihanga: The state of play An update on the three waters reform

CONTENTS WATER NEW ZEALAND

Provider of Water Process Solutions Provider Water Process Solutions for NewofZealand since 1938

for New Zealand since 1938

President: Helen Atkins Board Members: Troy Brockbank; Garth Dibley; Lorraine Kendrick; Priyan Perera, Iain Rabbitts, Dr Deborah Lind, Tim Gibson

water Issue 218 MARCH / APRIL 2021

Chief Executive: Gillian Blythe SIG Co-ordinator: Katrina Guy Executive Administrator: Amy Samuelu Administration Officer: Pip Donnelly Technical Manager: Noel Roberts Principal Data Scientist: Lesley Smith

GSM/GPRS GSM/GPRS DataData Loggers Loggers

Automatic Automatic Meter Meter Reading Reading System System (AMR) (AMR)

Electromagnetic Electromagnetic FlowFlow Meters Meters

Domestic Domestic andand BulkBulk

METERING METERING

Training Development Manager: Mumtaz Parker

4 President’s comment – The year of reform 6 Water New Zealand members honoured

Marketing Co-ordinator: Renee Butler

8 Latest National Performance Review

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS Backflow: Jim McGibbon, M: +64 22 010 3195

business 34 Building the flexibility to live with water 42 Clever fix for pipe tunnel collapse

coming soon

Climate Change: Jon Reed, P: +64 9 300 9267

10 Modelling rising to meet water challenges

48 Central Interceptor project underway

Smart Water Infrastructure: Michael Howden,

12 New training initiatives

56 Huge opportunity for wastewater biogas

P +64 4 473 7551 Modelling: Nadia Nitsche, P: +64 21 576 134

16 Three Waters Reform – An update

Small Wastewater & Natural Systems:

19 Inaugural Taumata Arowai Board announced

Sandy Ormiston

26 UC engineer spearheads $3m next-gen tech

Stormwater: Kate Purton, P: 021 0375 872 Water Service Managers’ Group: Martyn Cole, P: +64 27 555 4751 Young Water Professionals: AKL: Joan Davidson, P: +64 21 835 739

project to clean water

solutions 62 Building wastewater resilience in Tauranga from beginning to end 70 Revealing groundwater’s denitrification

40 Starting a conversation around

capacity

Te Mana o te Wai

WLG: George Beveridge, P: +64 21 718 173 CHC: Lisa Mace, P: + 64 3 366 3521

REGULARS

Managing Editor: Alan Titchall

20 Profile – Ethan Keith

P +64 9 636 5712, M +64 27 405 0338

22 Profile – Owen Gill

alan@contrafed.co.nz Contrafed Publishing Contributors: Mary Searle Bell Advertising Sales: Debbie Laing

54 Comment – Ross Copland, Te Waihanga’s state of play

M: +64 27 455 0223

68 Comment – Legal

Design: Contrafed Publishing

72 Pacific – Oxfam

1 Grange Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024

74 Advertiser's index

PO Box 112 357, Penrose, Auckland, 1642 P: +64 9 636 5715 www.contrafed.co.nz Distribution: Pip Donnelly P: +64 4 472 8925

HighHigh Performance Performance Air Valves Air Valves

Backflow Backflow Preventers Preventers

VeeVee WireWire Screening Screening Solutions Solutions

Innovative Innovative Filtration Filtration Solutions Solutions Water Water Control Control Solutions Solutions

FILTRATION FILTRATION

FEATURES 28 Eugene Doyle – Making trouble is my

Communications Manager: Debra Harrington

WATER JOURNAL

VALVES VALVES

INSIDE

DISCLAIMER: Water New Zealand reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material submitted for publication.

The opinions expressed in contributions to Water are not necessarily those of Water New Zealand. The information contained in this publication is given in good faith and has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, neither Water New Zealand, nor any person(s) involved in the preparation of this publication accept any form of liability whatsoever for its content including advertisements, editorials, opinions, advice or information. This extends to any consequences from its use. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or ink–jet printing without prior written permission of the publishers.

“…it is important to be clear that this is a major, intergenerational project which seeks to ensure New Zealand’s critical three waters infrastructure and services are fit for purpose for decades to come.”

Brian Hanna, p16

‘Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora nga tangata’ ‘If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy’

ISSN 1179-2949 (Print) ISSN 2382-1906 (Online) www.waternz.org.nz

Deeco Services Ltd | Water Process Solutions National Service & Distribution Regent Street PO, Box 33-226, Petone Deeco Services Ltd ||21Water Process Solutions Tel: 04 568Service 5293 | Fax: 04 568 5273||21 service@deeco.co.nz | www.deeco.co.nz National & Distribution Regent Street PO, Box 33-226, Petone Tel: 04 568 5293 | Fax: 04 568 5273 | service@deeco.co.nz | www.deeco.co.nz Wellington | Auckland | Tauranga | Christchurch Wellington | Auckland | Tauranga | Christchurch

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The official journal of Water New Zealand – New Zealand’s only water environment periodical. Established in 1958, Water New Zealand is a non-profit organisation.

MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

3

CLA-VAL PACIFIC Reaching New Heights In Level Control

WATER NEW ZEALAND FROM THE PRESIDENT

Cla-Val Pacific provide a range of level control solutions, whether float, solenoid or total electronic control to maintain precise reservoir level. We will work with you to provide the best solution for your application from our Christchurch factory.

The year of reform Helen Atkins President, Water New Zealand

W

e are now well into 2021 and I hope you’ve all had a refreshing summer because this is certainly going to be a busy, fascinating and challenging year in the water sector.

So far this year, the Water Services Bill has been a primary focus for us at Water New Zealand. The Bill sets the framework for the most significant change to the provision of drinking water and the related safety standards for that water that we have seen in this country in decades.

We had a team of members who have given up hours of their valuable time to assist us in pulling together our submission. We have been consulting widely with our membership and presented our final submission early this month. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read it on our website.

Another important (and related) piece of work has been the development of guidance material for our members on the concept of Te Mana o te Wai. This is an area that I am particularly focused on as I see it as a fundamental shift in the way in which we protect and manage our freshwater resources.

Te Mana o te Wai is a concept that sits in the National Policy Statement Freshwater Management but it was given new emphasis in the 2020 amendments to that Policy Statement. It has been included in the Water Services legislation as a concept that must be given effect to when decision around water services are being made.

Te Mana o te Wai recognises the fundamental importance of protecting the health of the water, not only at source but also the use of the water in the environment including discharges from

4 www.waternz.org.nz

Cla-Val Level Control Valves • Drip-Tight, Positive Shut-Off • Reliable Hydraulic Operation • Easily Adjustable Control • Completely Automatic Operation The Model 210-01 valve is hydraulically operated, and pilot controlled. The pilot control operates on the differential in forces between a spring load and the water level in the reservoir. The desired high-water level is set by adjusting the spring force. The pilot control measures the reservoir head through a customer supplied sensing line connected directly to the reservoir.

ON-OFF NON-MODULATING FLOAT • PROPORTIONAL FLOW MODULATING FLOAT • ELECTRONIC LEVEL CONTROL wastewater and stormwater systems. Hence the addition into the Water Services Bill.

It is vital that everyone working in the water sector understands the concept of Te Ao Māori and how it will impact on our dayto-day work. To that end, Water New Zealand will be offering a series of webinars to provide more information on what the concept means in practice.

With the Government reform agenda in full swing including a number of major structural changes to the sector being indicated we are particularly looking forward to welcoming the Local Government minister Nanaia Mahuta as one of our keynote speakers at our Stormwater Conference in Tauranga in May. You may recall that due to Covid, last year’s Stormwater Conference went online. Thanks to everyone involved in that conference and the nimbleness of our conference organisers, Avenues, it was a successful event. I certainly hope that this year we can get together in Tauranga for a face-to-face catch up.

If you haven’t yet registered, there’s still time. Take a look at our website to see the great line up of presenters and papers.

And finally, as this is going to be such a big year, we want to keep you up to date with latest happenings as they unfold. A great way to stay informed is to keep an eye on our newsletters, webinars and come to our regular virtual coffee catch ups.

Looking forward to keeping in touch.

Helen Atkins President

Electronic Position Control Valve • Simple, Reliable and Accurate • The Cla-Val CPC 138-L21/P9 is designed as a direct acting valve for opening/closing or regulating pressure, flow or level • Standard applications include – Reservoir Management Injection between networks – Flow control • Automatic hydraulic operation under power failure

Cla-Val Pacific 45 Kennaway Road, Woolston, Christchurch Tel: +64 (0)3 964 4860 Email: aspacsales@cla-val.com www.cla-valpacific.com

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FLOOD BARRIER TECHNOLOGY

WATER NEW ZEALAND UPFRONT

Selection and Implementation

Water internship highlights country differences As a student arriving in New Zealand with his family from Sudan 10 years ago, Water New Zealand’s summer intern, Aatif Orsman, quickly discovered he had a talent for computers and data technology.

Aatif has just completed his first year studying data science and cyber security through Weltec but plans to finish his degree at Victoria University.

He says smaller class sizes and helpful tutoring has made Weltec a more attractive option, especially in the Covid environment.

A decade ago, Aatif and his family arrived here through the sponsorship of an uncle employed by the United Nations.

He says that starting school in Wellington as a Year 8 student speaking only Arabic had its obvious challenges.

“I was basically quiet for three years and when I spoke, people said I had an American accent.”

Watching plenty of American-based online movies helped him to learn English.

Not surprisingly, water and especially water reticulation is one of the many obvious gulfs between living here and Sudan.

“Most Sudanese houses don’t have indoor plumbing, normally just one outdoor tap, and you have to buy the water. You can pay by the day, week or month, or else from a street water seller.”

Water is expensive too – at a cost of around 300-Sudanese pounds (NZ$7.52) for enough water to last a family a day.

In the long term, Aatif is keen to one day return to his native homeland; the people and culture beckon. But before then he wants to pursue a career in computer science and sees one that relates to both water and data as definitely an attractive option.

“Working at Water New Zealand these past three months has shown me the importance of data to help inform best practice and opportunities to improve water services, especially with so many new projects in the pipeline.”

RETRACTABLE FLOOD BARRIER

Anthony Wilson

Garry MacDonald

Water New Zealand members honoured Two eminent Water New Zealand members have been elected Distinguished Fellows of Engineering New Zealand (ENZ).

Anthony Wilson was elected in 2020 and Garry MacDonald in 2021. However due to Covid restrictions, ENZ was not able to hold its annual Fellows’ Dinner last year and so both recipients were formally acknowledged in February.

Anthony is former president of Water New Zealand and Engineering New Zealand. He has led the water sector in the development of best practice and has extensive experience in municipal infrastructure. In recognition of his standing and abilities, Anthony was invited to be on the three-member panel for the 2016 Government Inquiry into Havelock North Drinking Water.

Garry MacDonald’s acknowledgement for his outstanding contribution to the profession and to wastewater and water engineering is the latest in a long line of achievements, including serving terms of presidents of both Water New Zealand and Engineering New Zealand.

Garry is an Honorary Life Member of Water New Zealand and one of only six holders of the Association Medal (2018). He is also the only New Zealand Fellow of the US-based Water Environment Federation, for which he served for four years as a board member.

Troy Brockbank has also been honoured, receiving the Fulton-Downer Silver Medal 2020 for his work leading the integration of Te Ao Māori within Engineering New Zealand’s Wonder Project curriculum.

Flood Barriers and Flood Doors are playing a significant role in flood protection for all infrastructure including residential, commercial, community and council mitigation programs.

So how do you know what kind of flood protection you need?

No two floods are the same, no two applications are the same and as such, no two barriers are the same. Every flood protection system should be purpose-built to ensure it meets all site requirements.

are designed to be concealed within existing infrastructure.

•

•

Limitations: Associated with manual systems, power sources, battery backups, actuator types etc.

Maintenance programs: As with all mechanical equipment flood barriers require ongoing scheduled maintenance programs.

•

•

Safety factors: Including any manual labor to erect the barrier, raising of the barrier, redirection of flow, power sources etc.

Mode of operation: Flood barriers may be manually deployed, actuated, automated or use buoyancy principles for passive operation.

•

Power and automation requirements: Where powered systems are required a battery backup is recommended as floods often cause blackouts, alternatively, a passive system. Combinations of powered and passive flood barriers are available for sites requiring instant and automated control enabling pre and post barrier deployment.

•

Storage and transportation: Options are available for storage and transportation of manually deployed flood barriers.

•

Asset ownership: Responsible for ongoing scheduled maintenance.

During your selection process you will need to know; •

What are the critical factors in selection?

•

What is currently available?

•

What are the design and installation limitations?

•

What costs are involved?

The factors to be considered in order to identify the most appropriate flood protection infrastructure to be implemented for any particular application include: •

Response times: How much warning will you receive? Is the site manned 24/7? Buoyant barriers operate autonomously without power and without human intervention.

•

Expected flood conditions: Including flood water depth, flood flow velocities, expected debris etc.

•

Critical design factors: Assurance that the barrier will operate without human intervention and without power in case of blackouts.

•

Types of installations: Is the barrier design restricted by space, operation or aesthetic requirements? Vertical and horizontal barriers

•

Flood mitigation plans: Seek professional advice in regard to flood risk assessments and information including storm water systems, run off flows and water harvesting opportunities.

•

Technical support and servicing: Partner a flood barrier manufacturer who can assist with operational and maintenance questions, upgrades and additional custom requirements.

•

Engineering and collaborative interfacing: Ensure your flood barrier is purpose engineered to meet exact site and operational requirements.

•

Warning systems: Warning systems are available to advise asset owners and anyone in the vicinity, of the barrier deployment, this is an important safety feature and involves visual and audible warning systems.

•

Aesthetics: Numerous options are available to ensure flood barriers can be ‘concealed’ within existing infrastructure, with materials and colours to match aesthetics.

•

Availability: Flood barriers must be ready and available to operate at a moment’s notice.

DESIGN OPTIONS There are numerous vertical and horizontal flood barriers that can be concealed within the surrounding infrastructure. Exposed barrier surfaces can be tailor made to match the adjoining materials.

1. Retractable Flood Barriers (Vertical Sliding) 2. Concealed Flood Barriers (Vertical Rising) 3. Tilting Flood Barriers (Horizontal to Vertical Rising) 4. Personal Access Flood Doors (for standard doorways)

CONCEALED

CONCEALED

PERSONAL ACCESS FLOOD DOOR DEPLOYED

DEPLOYED

Flood Barrier poster is a winner

Water New Zealand’s summer intern, Aatif Orsman.

6 www.waternz.org.nz

Belinda Baker from AWMA Water Control Solutions won the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo Poster of the Year with her submission on Flood Barrier Technology (opposite page).

The judges commented that the poster provided insight into an excellent example of how flood barrier technologies can be efficiently used to minimise the effects from destructive and expensive flooding in urban and suburban areas such as shops, industrial sites and roadways beside rivers.

The various technologies incorporate concealed flood barriers, tilting flood barriers and personal access flood doors, and the judges said the poster clearly showcased these technologies in an easy-to-read form without too much confusing and muddling information.

CONCEALED FLOOD BARRIER

TILTING FLOOD BARRIER

(Vertical Rising)

IS YOUR BARRIER BUOYANT? Installing a flood barrier that is based on the engineering principles of buoyancy

creates a passively actuated flood barrier, rather than a flood barrier requiring actuators to deploy. A buoyant, or passive flood barrier will always deploy once a certain water height at the barrier is triggered. Human intervention and power, are not required to activate a passively actuated flood barrier.

www.awmawatercontrol.com.au/nz

(Horizontal to Vertical Rising)

Due to the range of unknown variables, flood barrier design is most successful when facilitated in partnership. This would see technical experts, manufacturers, construction companies, developers and authorities all working together. The result would give key stakeholders the best opportunity to mitigate associated risks for a viable flood mitigation solution.

www.floodfree.com.au

WATER NEW ZEALAND UPFRONT

Photo competition closing soon Entries are closing on Tuesday, 30 March for the Water New Zealand photo competition.

This year the association is particularly looking for photos of projects and people working in the sector. However, all water shots are welcomed.

The winner will be decided by online voting and will receive a free registration to the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo 2021, including the Gala dinner – a prize valued at $1700.

Send your best shots through to: enquiries@waternz.org.nz.

Conditions of entry The photographer must be a member of the industry. Submissions by professional photographers will not be accepted.

The submitter must have the permission of any individuals featured in the photo to enter it in the photo competition, and for it to be used for

Water New Zealand promotional purposes.

Water New Zealand has the right to use all entries in our marketing and promotional material.

The photo must be high resolution without watermarks or logos (at least 1MB, preferably larger).

Please include the location of photo, a brief description, and contact details for submitter.

Latest National Performance Review coming soon Data from Water New Zealand’s 2019/20 National Performance Review goes live this April.

Drawing together information from 42 service providers, covering around 90 percent of the population, it is the country’s longest running bespoke assessment of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.

Keep an eye on Pipeline and our website for the release of an interactive data portal that allows you to examine the performance of service providers from around the country. The data portal is accompanied by a national report – providing a go-to source for information on our water networks. Some of the findings that we are excited about: • A report that covers enough pipelines to run up and down New Zealand 55 times.

• $2.6 billion in expenditure; no wonder everyone is so busy.

• A growing workforce with persistently high vacancy levels.

Any friends looking for work?

• The average household pays around $900/year for water services; significantly lower than average household expenditure on electricity of $2067/year. Boom.

• 251 tetra joules of energy produced by our wastewater networks and a further 15 tetra joules of energy by water supply. And opportunities for so much more!

The full report will be available from the National Performance Review website this April: www.waternz.org.nz. Throughout the year we will be showcasing some of the report’s key findings.

Spoiler alert: Wastewater overflows, water loss, water infiltration, and health and safety are all issues that need to remain squarely on our radar.

A consistent approach across the 3 waters sector

National Performance Review

2019 2020

8 www.waternz.org.nz

WATER NEW ZEALAND UPFRONT

Modelling rising to meet water challenges

By Nadia Nitsche, Water New Zealand Modelling Group chair

As this edition of Water headed to the printer, we of the Water New Zealand Modelling Group were meeting virtually at our two-day symposium (March 10-11).

The annual get-together provides a great opportunity for us to collaborate, share ideas, and present case studies on the modelling work that is being undertaken. It’s an event where it is ok to delve into details and the nitty gritty of what Froude number creates instability in models – not a topic one usually talks about in a normal social environment.

But yes, the modelling symposium is great for us geeks that enjoy debating about parameters that seem insignificant to some but revolve thinking space for us.

Modelling has come a long way in the past years. The drivers for change in the modelling world are often increasing customer expectations, legislative changes, and extreme events, such as long-duration droughts or floods. More recently, understanding and managing the effects of climate change on our infrastructure assets and communities has become increasingly important.

Climate crises will drive change in the communities – a point emphasised by this year’s keynote, Belinda Storey, director of climate acuity. Modelling will play an integral part in helping understand the challenges associated with climate change.

New modelling requirements have a big impact on the investment in the software and the technology. This again increases the expectations around faster, more detailed modelling.

These advances have exponentially changed our expectations and ability to collect, process, analyse and present vast amounts of data with powerful visual tools. As a result, modelling of the three waters is changing from just the planning domain into the ‘real-time’ operational environment.

We now have the computing power and software tools to support this migration.

The strive for ‘digital twin’ and ‘intelligent water networks’ is both exciting and, at the same time, daunting.

Our industry is getting smarter and we are seeing the evolution of a new generation of tech-savvy modellers, planners and operators. There are some extremely smart people driving this change.

One of the aims of the symposium was to highlight papers that show evidence in the change of thinking, not only at the operational level, but also the planning.

Let’s take the planners for example.

New Zealand’s growth has led to a significant focus on urban regeneration and intensification. Infrastructure planners need to understand, plan and manage water conservation, stormwater management, and wastewater systems to support future growth.

Understanding the potential role of stormwater detention, rainwater tanks, sewer mining, and permeable paving, for example, is increasingly seen as important.

Modelling is becoming even better able to cater for this need. I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime in the future we even model the downpipes on buildings to e-babel to analyse the impact this has on the wider stormwater runoff.

10 www.waternz.org.nz

Complete drinking water monitoring systems including:

AMI Turbiwell, AMI Trides and AMI SAC254 In order to operate and efficiently control the drinking water treatment process, it is essential to measure and record the water quality for trend analyses from raw water intake, to purification, storage and distribution.

With SWAN’s analytical instruments, you are receiving application-specific instruments, designed to provide easy operation, low maintenance and rapid plant integration.

AMI Labour savers: 4 Minimum maintenance 4 Minimum down time 4 3 year electronic warranty 4 Pre-factory calibrated - plug & play

It is exciting to see the developments that are being made in the modelling world to support this planning need. Models range from the local scale with 100 properties, to the precinct scale with 5000 properties, and up to the suburb scale with 27,000 properties.

The next steps may be integrated modelling. Watch this space.

Water quality is another area that is driving change in the modelling space.

Due to National Policy for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) there is a growing interest in water quality modelling and we are likely to see some progress in this area in the next few years.

Calibration of water quality models continues to be a challenge and so far progress has been slow and expensive. The main challenge has been the collection of complex network level water quality information at an affordable price.

It will be interesting to see in future modelling symposiums how we are advancing water quality modelling.

In summary, the yearly symposium provides the opportunity to discuss key challenges and how modelling supports these issues.

While the speed of future technologies and software development is hard to predict, we certainly see that modelling is responding to the need for planning and legislation, as well as extreme events, to be able to support the decision making needed to react to the challenges.

Undeniably, modelling will continue to play a key role in the future.

We see modelling becoming a more recognised and valuable tool for future generations of network operators, eventually being transformed into a key operational decision support tool linked to a wide array of realtime network information.

AMI Turbiwell Precision non-contact Turbidity measurement. (shown with debubbler option)

AMI Trides

AMI SAC254

Amperometric three electrode for reagentless free chlorine or ozone with optional pH (compact version shown)

UV Transmittance measurement – stable measurement, without drift, and insensitive to fouling. (shown with pressure regulator option)

Other parameters we can measure: 4 Total Alkalinity 4 Aluminium 4 Ammonium 4 Colour 4 Total Hardness 4 COD (Permanganate) 4 Chloride 4 Total Iron (Dissolved) 4 Manganese 4 Phenol

Drinking water, waste water, recycled water and environment monitoring We are proud members of the below associations:

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Ph: 64 9 213 7191 • sales@swan-analytical.co.nz

WATER NEW ZEALAND UPFRONT

New training initiatives

By Mumtaz Parker, Water New Zealand training development manager.

A knowledgeable, highly skilled workforce is essential for a safe and resilient water sector. Water New Zealand has been working on a suite of new training and development initiatives aimed at helping ensure a fit-forpurpose workforce into the future. Here are some of the initiatives currently underway and a preview of what you can expect to see in the next couple of months.

Stormwater workshop

There was a good turnout at Canterbury University in February for the Stormwater Workshop focusing on connecting research and industry needs.

The objective of the workshop was to share latest research knowledge from the university and to discuss some of the key issues and barriers in industry that research could help address.

The workshop included an overview of the research landscape in New Zealand and looked at research technologies, tools and the opportunities as well as recent research findings.

Competency framework

We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read through the competency framework on the Water New Zealand website for the four roles we’re working on and provided feedback. The feedback is vital to ensuring we have a fit-for-purpose and robust competency framework for the water sector.

The competency framework is a work in progress and the roles developed to date are drinking water treatment operators, wastewater treatment operators, drinking water distribution operators, and wastewater network operators.

We are working on guidance information on how best to use the framework and ensure that we get industry engagement with it.

If you would like to provide feedback on the competency framework, please email training@waternz.org.nz

WIPA

The Water Industry Professionals Association is the CPD and registration programme for water industry professionals. You can find more information at www.wipa.co.nz. If you would like to enrol with WIPA, email info@wipa.co.nz.

Drinking Water 101

Water New Zealand has developed the Drinking Water 101 digital badge.

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of drinking water and all the people and processes involved prior to water reaching the tap.

This course is important as there is a gap in the basic understanding of drinking water and the various components relating to safe, clean drinking water.

You can enrol for the badge to add to your knowledge bank or to further your own professional development.

Whatever your motivation, this is the first step towards a better understanding of drinking water.

Cultural significance and importance of water

A huge gap exists within the water sector in terms of the cultural importance and significance of water. The development and delivery of this module will provide a significant benefit to organisations, as candidates will be bringing this knowledge with them and continue to develop this within the organisation.

Some of the topics that will be covered include: Introduction to Te Ao Māori and a stocktake workshop, indigenous worldview, connection with water, Te Mana o te Wai, equity, Te Reo, and decision frameworks.

The format of this module will be a half-day face-to-face session, followed by five weekly zoom sessions. Register your interest at training@waternz.org.nz.

Human resource managers

Finally, I am interested in connecting with HR managers in the water sector. If you are an HR manager or have an HR manager at your organisation, please reach out to me at training@waternz.org.nz.

Farewell to a veteran Water scientist Arthur Haughey has died, aged 82. His career in the industry began with a degree in biology, and one of his first jobs was at the newly commissioned wastewater treatment plant in Mangere, tackling a midge problem.

In the late 1960s, with changes to local government, Arthur and his family headed to Australia, where they too were battling with midges. However, upon arrival, instead of insects he was given catchments in the lower

12 www.waternz.org.nz

Murray Basin and Adelaide hills to supervise.

It was here he made what he felt was his biggest contribution to the world. He noted high levels of radiation in a rainfall sample taken following heavy rain at the time a bomb test was carried out in the north of the Northern Hemisphere.

Arthur’s sample proved that it didn’t take 30 months for radiation to get to the Southern Hemisphere from the atmosphere as they thought, but took as little as 30 hours, and

Save the date!

Water New Zealand’s Conference and Expo 2021 will be at Claudelands, Hamilton, 21 – 23 September Go to www.waterconference.org.nz for latest updates and information.

Thank you to our Premier Partners subsequently atmospheric tests were banned at the General Assembly of the UN Security Council.

On returning to New Zealand in 1977, he held the position of chief scientist with what later became the Auckland Regional Council for 14 years, then set up his own business to provide ecological consulting services before retiring in 2009.

Arthur also served on the IWA committee and was president of Water New Zealand (or as it was known at that time, the Water Supply and Disposal Association) from 1981-83.

An Auckland Council Organisation

WWW.WATERNZCONFERENCE.ORG.NZ

Brought to you by Water New Zealand

20

Years

Keynote Speakers Hon Nanaia Mahuta Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta is leading the sector through one of the biggest reform processes in decades.

She says investing in water infrastructure is about investing in the health of New Zealanders and is a key component in the Government’s economic plan to recover from Covid.

As well as a world-class drinking water and wastewater service, the Minister says there is a need for a resilient approach to storm and floodwaters and improved resilience to climate change and natural hazards.

As part of the reform programme, she is committed to engaging with local government, water sector stakeholders, iwi/Māori representatives and national bodies.

Hon Nanaia Mahuta is a tribal member of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Manu.

12 – 14 May 2021 | Tauranga Join us in Tauranga to Celebrate Stormwater’s 20th Anniversary

Register Now! Earlybird and Group Registrations Close Friday, 19 March

Holly Greening Co-Founder, CoastWise Partners Holly Greening was both Executive Director and Senior Scientist of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

Holly has served on the Estuarine Research Federation Governing Board, the National Academy of Sciences Ocean Studies Board, and five National Research Council committees.

She was Co-Chair of the 2011 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Conference, Chair of the Association of National Estuary Programs, and Associate Editor for the scientific journal Estuaries and Coasts. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications with a focus on estuarine ecology and collaborative watershed management and is the recipient of regional and national awards for coastal stewardship. On retiring from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program in January 2018, Holly co-founded CoastWise Partners, which provides volunteer assistance to coastal and watershed programs around the world.

Thank you to our Premier Sponsor

WATER NEW ZEALAND THREE WATERS

Three waters reform

– an update Independent chair of the joint central/local government Three Waters Reform Steering Committee, Brian Hanna, shares his perspective on the state of the reform programme.

It is going to be an extremely busy year for the water sector with critical stages being progressed in the Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme.

From the outset, it is important to be clear that this is a major, intergenerational project which seeks to ensure New Zealand’s critical three waters infrastructure and services are fit for purpose for decades to come.

And while, to date, our primary work as a committee has been with local government and Māori, there is a wide appreciation by all involved in these reforms of the impacts and opportunities for the wider water sector, including the water industry.

Eight months into the life of the committee it is useful to briefly traverse our purpose, some of the gains we have achieved, and look at what lies ahead.

But first, I would like to acknowledge the work of those in the industry who have participated in the work of councils in completing the recent Request for Information process.

As most will know, the RFI process followed the

16 www.waternz.org.nz

Government’s July 2020 announcement of a $710m post-Covid-19 Three Waters Stimulus and Reform Fund for councils. As part of this, councils agreed to engage in the ‘reform conversation’ and to participate in an information gathering exercise.

This has been a complex project involving one of the biggest stocktakes ever undertaken in our water services sector.

While it was particularly demanding for the many people involved, the feedback from within the local government sector and across the industry was that the process has been illuminating and rewarding.

I’m confident that the knowledge gained will be invaluable in helping to ensure that the reforms go forward on the best possible footing.

Our joint committee was formed by agreement between the Prime Minister, senior ministers and LGNZ’s national council in May last year. The primary purpose of this partnership approach is to ensure that the reform process is informed by the perspectives, expertise and experience of the local Three Waters Reform Steering Committee chair, Brian Hanna.

government sector, while also taking account of other key parties such as Māori.

In turn, we are informed and supported by technical reference groups which draw expertise from a wide variety of interests and influences, including the water industry.

The committee’s input to reform stages so far, including the way in which the Three Waters Covid-19 recovery stimulus and reform funding has been managed and allocated, has been significant. Equally, the committee has challenged, or enhanced, the rigour of central government thinking at key decision points. I expect this to continue.

Heralding a year of big decisions ahead, the steering committee will be supporting the Department of Internal Affairs in the important next phase of the reform programme’s communications and engagement effort. This will consist of a series of workshops largely organised around the LGNZ zones, with local government and Māori, through March, with supporting events and collateral available before and after.

These will be mirrored by engagement opportunities undertaken by the Three Waters Reform Programme at the Department of Internal Affairs with Water New Zealand and other industry representative groups.

The purpose of the March engagement is for the Crown, in partnership with the steering committee, to explain current thinking on critical elements of the reforms; to test a range of potential options for the proposed new water-service delivery arrangements with the local government sector and Māori, and to receive feedback on these options.

It is important to state that neither the Department of Internal Affairs nor the steering committee will have the answers to every question just yet as both the reform policy and design work is ongoing – and to emphasise, it is the Government that is the decision-maker in this process.

Informed by the latest data and information, the Government is expected to release its proposals in mid-2021. Following this, there will be further engagement on the reforms. This is likely to include guidance on community consultation, and detailed information for councils and communities on which to base decisions on whether to remain within the reform programme or to opt-out. These decisions will need to be made towards the latter part of the year.

Between now and then, there remains detailed policy, design work and communications initiatives to complete.

MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND THREE WATERS

Three Waters Reform Programme at a glance The Three Waters Review

Set up in the wake of the Havelock North campylobacter tragedy to address regulatory failure and concerns about water services delivery. The Three Waters Review has had three primary objectives: • To overhaul the regulatory regime for drinking water safety; • Create a Crown entity – Taumata Arowai – to manage this; and • To reform water service delivery arrangements nationally.

Regulatory reform and Taumata Arowai

The Water Services Bill, which describes the new regulatory regime for drinking water, is currently in the select committee process.

Taumata Arowai will take over responsibility for drinking water safety from the Ministry of Health when it is fully operational in the second half of 2021. It will also have a national oversight role for wastewater and stormwater networks, which continue to be regulated by regional councils.

There will be a requirement for council-owned drinking water providers to meet existing New Zealand drinking water standards.

Reforming three waters services delivery

Reviews into the delivery of three waters services have identified significant ongoing challenges and a considerable level of underinvestment in three waters infrastructure.

In July 2020, the Government launched the Three Waters Reform Programme – a three-year programme to address the challenges facing council-owned and operated three waters services.

Cost implications for communities

Research has shown that the cost of upgrading drinking water treatment plants, nationally, to meet standards is about $575 million. The costs to upgrade wastewater treatment plants is estimated to be in the region of $3-$4 billion.

However, much of the underinvestment and forward costs of maintaining and improving water services and infrastructure lies in the pipe networks and associated plant.

Early modelling, using publicly available data, indicated that these costs could amount to up to between $30-$50 billion over 30 years above already planned investment.

An extensive and collaborative data gathering project (Request for Information) by central and local government

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on council water assets, infrastructure and services is under way to test these estimates.

Government response

In July 2020, the Government announced a $710 million funding package to support economic recovery relating to Covid-19, and to address persistent issues facing the three waters sector, through a combination of water infrastructure investment and water service delivery reform.

Reform work to date is based on a shared understanding between central and local government that a partnership approach will best support wider community interests and ensure any transition to new service delivery arrangements is well managed and as smooth as possible.

A joint Three Waters Steering Committee provides collaborative oversight of the reform programme and brings together central and local government expertise and experience and includes Māori perspectives.

The service delivery reforms are not aimed at privately owned water schemes, but are cognisant that these schemes are a large part of rural water provision.

The Government’s starting intention is to reform local government’s three waters services into a small number of multi-regional entities with a bottom line of public ownership.

These entities will have the efficiencies of scale, be able to share costs across a greater population, and separate the balance sheets from councils to enable more cost-effective funding and financing arrangements.

Inaugural Taumata Arowai board announced The setting up of the new Taumata Arowai board is an important milestone in the journey towards safer drinking water for all New Zealanders.

The Minister of Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta, announced in late February that former director general of health and respected public health specialist Dame Karen Poutasi will chair the inaugural board of Taumata Arowai. Appointed also to the board are Troy Brockbank, Riki Ellison, Brian Hanna, Dr Virginia Hope, Loretta Lovell, and Anthony Wilson.

Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe says the association is looking forward to working collaboratively with the new regulator to ensure that all drinking water is safe and complies with appropriate standards.

“It is pleasing to see Water New Zealand board member Troy Brockbank and former Water New Zealand president Anthony Wilson are both joining the inaugural board.

“Taumata Arowai will play a pivotal role in guiding the sector

and overseeing and enforcing the new regulatory system and giving effect to Te Mana o te Wai.” The new regulator will also have national oversight of waste and stormwater networks.

“This is important because the three waters are inextricably linked and there are a significant number of challenges facing the sector including climate change and population growth.

Nanaia Mahuta “The next important step will be the progress of the Water Services Bill giving Taumata Arowai the powers it needs to carry out its role.

“Submissions closed in early March and we have been working with our members to ensure we provide the government with sector feedback on the legislation.”

Opportunities for communities

The reforms present a number of opportunities for local government, iwi/hapū/Māori, communities and industries.

These include: • Ensuring we can afford our water services now and in the future; • Creating regional jobs and a more professional workforce, and a pipeline of works; • Looking after our environment; • Upholding the ‘Treaty’ and Te Mana o Te Wai in a way that takes an all of system (ki uta, ki tai) approach; • Protecting essential water services against climate change and adverse events; • Allowing councils to focus more on community development and place-making; • Helping to address the housing crisis by providing essential water infrastructure; and • Creating opportunities for more innovation and new technologies in water service provision.

MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND PROFILE

Building a new life Ethan Keith’s life has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride so far, from sporting highs to addiction lows, he’s working hard to make things better for himself and his family. By Mary Searle Bell.

As a high schooler, Ethan’s life looked promising. Not one for academia, he dropped out young to follow his sporting dreams.

He played rugby league at a semi-professional level for a highly successful North Island team before moving to Australia to join a development team for the Canberra Raiders.

However, his league ambitions didn’t take him any further, and with a partner and children to care for, the young man returned to New Zealand.

Ethan got a job with a concrete laying firm, but things started to spiral downwards when he began abusing drugs and alcohol. He hit the bottom, undergoing rehab during a short stint in prison.

But to give full credit to Ethan, he knew that he needed to do something to get his life back on track, not just for his own sake, but that of his family.

When he was released in late 2018, he joined Downer as a general hand on a 10-month contract on a pilot for its Te Whanake ki ti Ora Programme. This programme provides

guidance and support through the delivery of a holistic health model encompassing family, physical, mental and spiritual health for Ma-ori.

His initial role with Downer saw him working on the Shared Pathways project in Horowhenua. This project comprised the construction of a 2.5-metre-wide trail network connecting the major communities and attractions in the district. It links together existing paths and trails, and provides access for cyclists, runners and walkers to coastal reserves, rivers, mountains and lakes.

“When my contract ended, I was given the opportunity to move to the civil infrastructure side of things and I grabbed the opportunity.

“That was three years ago now, and I’ve been pipelaying mainly – water and sewer – and have really enjoyed it.

“The team here is excellent and the morale in the crew is great.”

When we spoke to Ethan, he and the team were in the middle of laying a watermain; busy constructing a road crossing to take

Ethan Keith with Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe.

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water from the mains pipe to the houses on the street.

“I particularly enjoy the variety this job gives me – one day you’re digging a trench, the next you’re removing redundant water mains or laying pipes or driving trucks. Every day is different. I’m always learning new skills from my workmates.”

Ethan says he particularly enjoys the planning side of things, things like organising vehicle movement plans and truck management plans.

“Ten months ago, I started studying for my Level 3 Civil Works and Infrastructure certificate. I’ve finished my first module and am on track to finish the second in the next couple of weeks.

“I’m really enjoying it, which came as a bit of a surprise. I was never good at studying at school – I thought rugby league would be my life.”

Ethan’s efforts to turn his life around have been hugely successful, and his dedication to his new career has not gone unacknowledged. Last year Downer nominated him for the Water New Zealand Trainee of the Year award, citing his selfmotivation and enthusiasm for his new role.

The application states: “his natural leadership skills [means he] has quickly moved into a support role for the crew foreman. He is well respected by his peers, and he’s the ‘go to’ man for most of the paperwork.”

Ethan was stoked to win the award: “I’m doing something I never saw myself doing and I’m really enjoying it.

“I’d like to continue expanding my knowledge in the civil industry – there’s so much more than just pipes.

“My ambition is to get off the ground. I’m confident I could take up a supervisory role in the future.

“I am very grateful to have people around me that allow me to feel confident about my ambitions. And outside of work, the support of my partner and children are key factors to my success.

“I’m happy to say I’m staying away from drugs/alcohol and have been sober for three years now.”

As for Downer, it has seen excellent results from its recruitment drive that saw Ethan join the team.

The company says it needed to address an aging employee demographic and skill shortages, and so deliberately targeted young Ma-ori in its recruitment and retention plans.

Ethan’s particular programme, Te Whanake ki te Ora, is for new employees who self-disclose they may be at risk of drug or alcohol use, and are supported to remain drug free through counselling, random drug tests, lifestyle workshops, a buddy system, celebrations, and family involvement.

This programme is supplementary to Whakatipu Tetekura, a Downer initiative for Ma-ori school leavers at risk of becoming NEETs, (not in education, employment or training).

Downer considers the programme a win:win solution.

It provides employment for individuals who may have challenges gaining and maintaining sustainable employment, and the business gets loyal, committed, productive employees.

As for Ethan, he’s thrilled his life is back on track and he’s found a career he enjoys.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND PROFILE

New CEO for Infrastructure New Zealand In early February, Owen Gill stepped into the position of CEO of Infrastructure NZ. Mary Searle Bell talks to him about his career thus far and the experience and skillset he will bring to the role.

Owen says he is fortunate in that he is “good with both words and numbers”, understanding economics and able to communicate well.

He graduated from Victoria University with a BA in political science and a post-grad diploma in public policy and got a big career jump in 1992 when he landed a job working for Helen Clark as a political advisor.

“I was young – in my 20s – when I joined the office of Helen Clark. At the time, she was deputy leader of the Labour Party and deputy leader of the opposition, under Mike Moore. But not long after, in late 1993, Helen was catapulted into the top role, and I went along with her, becoming her chief press secretary.

“The following two years were pretty spectacular – it was a wild and exciting ride.

“New Zealand was in the process of transitioning to proportional representation. All political parties were in transition and new parties were forming. All the leaders were trying to adjust to the new system.

“When I left her office four years later, I was much wiser and far more worldly than when I joined.”

Owen’s next roles were as communications manager for the State Services Commission, then Watercare, then the BNZ. In 2007, he moved to Australia.

“It was in the swing of a strong economic boom and was a big source of business growth. I, like many other Kiwis, saw the opportunities there and was drawn across by the excellent job prospects.”

While in Australia, he studied for an MBA while working in regulation, among other things.

His roles in that time vary from leading microeconomic reform programmes for ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) to that of speech writer to the chairman of ACCC

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(Australian Competition and Consumer Commission).

“I enjoyed seven years of a really good economy but then hit the crossroads all expat Kiwis face – do I stay or do I go? I knew that if I stayed, it would be for good.

“I could see it was a turning point in my life, and I opted to return home.”

In 2014 he joined the FMA in Auckland, leading a communications team focused on deepening understanding of the regulatory agenda and what it means for regulated professions, financial services providers, investors, and retail consumers.

From there, he has held a variety of specialist roles focusing on policy, regulation and implementation, working with the likes of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Conservation, and the Law Society.

“Over the past 10 years I’ve worked with a wide array of sectors, from financial services to consumer regulation.”

Owen believes the skills he has honed thus far will serve him well in his new role with Infrastructure New Zealand.

“I was attracted to this role because it’s a big New Zealand story.

“Any infrastructure we build impacts the whole of the country – we’re not large enough for regional or subregional infrastructure.

Something like the Auckland Harbour Bridge has an impact on the whole economy.

“The other thing I like about infrastructure is that it’s a ‘longrun’ story. The big projects are many years in the planning, design and build.

“The strategy of infrastructure is hugely important and tremendously exciting. Big infrastructure has 30-50 year horizons.

It has multi-generational payoffs so needs a robust long-range strategy to ensure the things we build will pay off years down the track.

“I’m fortunate that Steven Selwood did such a great job in MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND PROFILE

setting up the organisation. I want to keep that going, but build on it; adapt it for radically-changed times.”

Owen says his experience in policy will be an advantage.

“We’re a membership body, and I am committed to our 140 members, but we have a policy and think tank attached.

Infrastructure has to be built under policy to ensure it is the right structure for the job.

“The playing field has shifted recently. During Covid, social and economic life changed, and much of it forever. We know that infrastructure is going to be critical in the post-pandemic economic recovery.

“It’s worth noting that the current finance minister is also the infrastructure minister, which reflects the importance of the sector.

“Looking at the water sector in particular, there is some $700 million of Local Government proposals for water infrastructure thanks to Covid recovery funding. I don’t believe it is widely recognised in the community just how big or extensive this is, or the impact it will have on both the public and water providers, particularly those in the regions.

“The water sector has faced some pretty tough questions in the last few years, and I give kudos to the government for bring both the money and the regulatory reforms to tackle the problems – often it’s just changes to the rules without the funds to make those

changes. But we’ve got the money, and the reform itself is a bold and imaginative piece of policy.”

Owen says the need for the reform was really brought home to him at Christmas when he drove from Auckland to Coopers Beach in Northland.

“That trip impressed on me why it was so important.

“To go from the city with its two million ratepayers and commercial and industrial economy funding a single, sophisticated water provider, to Kaipara, with its large geographical area and small rating base of just 20,000, which nearly bankrupted itself 10 years ago with the Mangawhai sewerage scheme’s massive debt blowouts really threw things into perspective.

“Kaipara is only 80-90 kilometres from the Sky Tower, yet it’s a whole other world.

“Then further north, in Northland, they have a massive land area with a number of small centres – it has a large agricultural spread and a small rating base and many people using private bores for water. And again, it’s only a few hours from Auckland.

“I can see the strong need for national standards, however, to deliver the reforms we need good capital investment.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the water sector better – its people and its challenges – and working together to ensure we build world-class infrastructure.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND TE AO MĀORI

UC engineer spearheads $3m next-gen tech project to clean water A University of Canterbury kaipuhanga rauropi (ecological engineer) has $3 million and three years to help reverse water pollution with innovative sustainable treatment technologies.

Associate professor Dr Aisling O’Sullivan is leading a multidisciplinary research group that aims to tackle one of the biggest science-based issues facing New Zealand: water pollution.

“With Māori and iwi, we are developing a valuable project which has the potential to disrupt the water treatment sector – and most importantly return Te Mana o te Wai to our ecosystems and tangata whenua.

“I am proud to lead such a talented and dedicated expert team on this Spearhead research project.”

Aisling’s research focuses on creating ecologically sound design solutions for treating polluted waters, in partnership with Māori, iwi, councils and industry.

The Science for Technological Innovation (SfTi) Spearhead project, Clean Water Technology for restoring Te Mana o te Wai (CWT), is a nationwide, multi-institutional, three-year project, which started in February this year.

Ko te wai ko te ora – tackling fresh water pollution

Aisling explains her Clean Water Technologies project: “The New Zealand government has set ambitious targets to reverse water quality pollution, as set out in the recent Essential Freshwater package, which came into force in September 2020. Our innovative research is aiming to help achieve this goal.

“We are going to produce the next generation, wastewater treatment media – in collaboration with our Māori partners – that are 3D-printed to precise specifications and made from

biomaterials, including some waste resources.

“We all rely on the well-being of our water. Rivers and lakes are integral to Māori cultural identity. Their health and wellbeing is intrinsically connected to the health and well-being of whanau, iwi and hapu. New Zealanders want to swim, fish, gather mahinga kai and enjoy freshwater as our whakapapa did.

“We also need clean water to drink and irrigation to support a sustainable economy. However, its deterioration, in both the rural and urban landscapes, is a critical and global challenge.

This has caused substantial ecosystem decline and ultimately impacts on our food security and mauri (health).

“We wanted to create the biggest impact possible. That’s why we’re focused on pushing current science boundaries relating to innovative media that can be applied to many treatment technologies rather than developing just one such technology or a solution for just one sector.

“This affords an opportunity to provide a monumental impact on the health and well-being of our waterways. In doing so, we will be guided by our Māori partners, iwi advisors and SfTI leaders.

“We also have six top-funded PhD scholarships and other research opportunities to join our cross-disciplinary, nationwide team of researchers. So we’re calling for high-calibre students to become involved in this mission of returning Te Mana o te Wai to our ecosystems and tangata whenua.”

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WATER NEW ZEALAND WASTEWATER

Making trouble is my business Wellington’s outspoken Owhiro Bay water activist, Eugene Doyle, outlines how his vexed relationship with Wellington Water transformed into collaboration to help clean up the capital’s south coast. By Eugene Doyle.

28 www.waternz.org.nz

trucks that, at a cost of $100,000 a day, chauffeured the city’s poo round our coastal road and up to the landfill for disposal.

In the coming days all this argy-bargy would find its way into most mainstream national news outlets. The formidable councillor Fleur Fitzsimons hauled the executives over the coals for their behaviour towards me. My community, including our highly talented and pugnacious residents’ association, rallied around, as did a network of water activists like the Friends of the Owhiro Stream and the Owhiro Stream Team.

The water company took a public beating and as a result, issued a public apology: “Wellington Water apologises for ‘inappropriate’ email rant”, ran the front page headline. I graciously accepted: “Doyle told Stuff he had accepted the apology and didn’t hold any grudges over the exchange.

“It’s been a tough week for those guys. A lot of water has passed under the bridge, even if a fair bit of it is turd-infested.

“We’re very focused on what really counts – which is cleaning up the bay and ensuring everyone has access to information.”

The stoush and the media flurry it triggered did what I had been gunning for over weeks of campaigning. It forced the company to change tack and seriously engage.

The hard fact is that without a media ‘share price’, it’s hard to get people to take you seriously. The trick is to make it a fruitful conflict.

Within hours of Councillor Fitzsimons’ call to me, I received another, equally surprising one – from Colin Crampton, chief executive, Wellington Water.

It would prove to be the first of many contacts and the start of a process which by the end of the year would see significant changes to the way Wellington Water engaged with community groups, the launch of a data sharing platform, the way the company itself was structured, and major new initiatives launched to address the infrastructure failures that led to the contamination of Tapu Teranga Marine Reserve and the Owhiro Stream.

Colin’s involvement was transformational and he has remained

Eugene Doyle

PHOTO COURTESY OF: DEBBIE RAWSON

“I just thought I’d warn you: you’re about to be attacked in the media.” The phone call was from my local councillor and it was a Friday evening in February 2020. I had been battling Wellington Water for weeks over dangerous levels of faecal contamination that had closed our bay and polluted our stream, as well as their refusal to share data with us.

The thought of being up against Wellington Water, one of the region’s biggest companies, with a PR budget running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, jangled my nerves.

The trigger was an email I had sent them, cc’d to media: “As an organisation we are calling on you to stop trying to be Bond villains on trainer wheels and start engaging with us as, effectively, the public servants you are.

“Given the crisis, given its ongoing nature, how on earth can you justify not testing the stream mouth and having a hopeless monitoring programme upstream? The pressure on you won’t stop until you do the right thing.”

Bond villains on trainer wheels. They didn’t like that. Now they were biting back.

Their reply, sent to the same media, publicly accused me of being sensationalist, inaccurate and a poor community leader.

Tensions between the water company and our community had been running high since our bay was closed in January last year due to enterococci counts hitting hundreds of times the safe-toswim level through faecal contamination in the Owhiro Stream coming from failing pipes.

Water asset failures had become an almost daily front page story and we were up to our eyeballs in what I described as a tsunami of faecal matter.

Wellington Water hadn’t liked sharing data or were incredibly slow and poor at it. I had only succeeded in getting scraps from them. That day we were also told monitoring of the stream outlet would be stopping shortly.

The frustrations built as a major pipe linking the city’s Moa Point sewage treatment facility and the Southern Landfill (also located in Owhiro Bay) broke in February, leading to hundreds of daily truck movements of the infamous turd taxis – a fleet of

“The thought of being up against Wellington Water, one of the region’s biggest companies... jangled my nerves.”

MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND WASTEWATER

a very powerful ally in moving things forward.

He immediately conceded that monitoring of the outlet and associated points would continue on an ongoing basis and that data would be readily available, online, to the community.

At a certain point it became plain to both Wellington Water and our community that our interests were actually more closely aligned than we first thought.

Wellington City Council had been peeling off hundreds of millions of dollars of rates nominally gathered for water but redirected to other activities, a practice that had gone on for decades. This led to the water company being squeezed and having to run assets to breaking point, with no reasonablyfunded asset assessment programme in place.

Mayoral Taskforce and other break-throughs

My heightened media profile resulted in my appointment as the city’s community representative on the Mayoral Taskforce on the Three Waters. This taskforce was convened in the wake of spectacular pipe failures in early 2020 that closed part of downtown Wellington for weeks and saw hundreds of thousands of litres of sewage pouring into the harbour.

The report, endorsed and released by Mayor Andy Foster in December 2020, is well worth a read and is available at: https://bit.ly/3bMwqJl. Through the taskforce process, I supported three waters reform initiatives that the government was advancing, including

moving assets out of council control and the move to bigger regional entities.

I also advocated strongly for the adoption of domestic water metering and volumetric charging as important parts of green infrastructure. (Not exactly radical on my part.)

What we achieved in the course of 2020, as a community, a residents’ association, as water activists in our catchment and, eventually, with the significant participation of Wellington Water and Greater Wellington Regional Council was: • Permanent monitoring and online reporting of water quality at the stream mouth and several associated points; and a major expansion of data shared by Wellington Water.

• A Wellington Water-community action group, led by WWL’s group network manager Jeremy McKibbin, group manager strategy and planning Julie Alexander, and myself, to make fundamental progress in the catchment in terms of faecal contamination.

• To progressively investigate the source of all leaks in the public and private networks in Owhiro Bay. • The creation of the Owhiro Catchment Pilot: a multiparty working group from Wellington Water, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Regional Public health as well as community and mana whenua representation.

The pilot will address the restoration of the catchment in line with the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management 2020 and other benchmarks of ecological well-

being such as the Macroinvertebrate Community Index, and to act as a proving ground for better restoration, investigation and remediation processes.

• The Water That Counts Pilot, initiated by Greater Wellington’s GM environment Alistair Cross, run through Creative HQ in Wellington and funded by the Government’s tech accelerator programme.

The pilot, using Owhiro Bay and its community as its reference, is designed to create an online environment where water-related data for a catchment can be shared by multiple agencies and the community. The platform covers water safety data such as leachate, enteroccoci and e-coli levels.

Monitoring data, until now spread all over the place, can be aggregated, and important information relating to the catchment such as resource consents, discharge management plans and reports can be publicly accessible.

• A commitment by Wellington City Council to ensure beach sampling sites and reporting meet community expectations.

• The Mayoral Taskforce on the Three Waters Report contains a number of recommendations that address the Owhiro Pilot and its importance to informing city and region-wide improvements to our waterways and bays.

It’s outsiders who change the world

Everything I experienced in 2020 confirmed the old saying: ‘It’s the outsiders who change the world’. Radicals, even mellow

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corduroy-wearing ones like me, have the kind of insurgent energy that is rare within companies and halls of power.

I have found that there is a serious lack of ‘mission-oriented thinking’ inside the regional council, the city council and the water company. The more I learn, the more I realise how little serious planning, investigating, analysing and fixing is going on.

This is often facilitated by a culture of secretiveness or, at the very least, appalling systems of public scrutiny.

The good news for us is that Wellington Water, Greater Wellington, and the city council have made some exemplary progress recently in starting the cultural, organisational, regulatory and funding changes that are so necessary.

The coming year’s work by the Multiparty Working Group on the Owhiro Catchment will be the acid test of collective commitment and competence.

Disquieting questions

Activists around New Zealand tell me what we experienced in Wellington is the same or worse where they are. I have learnt so much from inspiring people like Marnie Prickett, Dame Anne Salmond, Guy Salmon, Mike Joy, the Drinkable Rivers team in Canterbury and excellent advocates closer to home like Martin Payne and Bryce Johnson. The similarities of all our experiences provokes some disquieting questions.

How have cross-connections been allowed to proliferate over decades?

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WATER NEW ZEALAND WASTEWATER

Why weren’t alarm buttons hit when funding was calamitously inadequate?

Why are so many regional councils consistently poor at giving meaningful effect to the RMA’s clear guidance on discharge of contaminants into the environment?

Why the nationwide culture of secrecy?

Why have so many utilities been slow at adopting the kinds of Smart Water technologies that have been revolutionising performance in the best-performing countries?

Why are our water companies so poor at data analysis and customer service compared to other utilities?

Seriously, how on earth, has the desecration of our waterways and beaches been allowed to continue for so long?

What is wrong with our collective culture that we allowed this?

Why are we painfully disorganised in terms of sharing data and research around the country?

Where is the national level research centre on water that is actively investigating the best smart water technologies, the best digital applications, the best practices for solving water, and sharing this across all water companies?

Why have we allowed shambolic and dysfunctional relationships between territorial authorities, councils and water companies to go on so long?

Where was the leadership? The governance? Why is it taking so long to build effective co-governance processes, bring mana whenua and community leaders to the decisionmaking table?

Why were so many councils allowed to “rob” the rates that should have been ring-fenced for water?

Why do we always talk about Three Waters and conveniently forget freshwater and coastal marine?

Scrutiny is a tool for process improvement

Access to information is where all of this can start to be sorted.

The first bit of Latin I learnt as a child was sapientia potentia est – knowledge is power.

If we share information, fixing water will get so much easier. The more the community knows, the better for everyone. Knowing how polluted your stream or bay is or how little is being done to fix it energises people to push for change. This translates into more money for water companies.

Our job, as water activists, is to say “No! This situation cannot continue. Change must come. Now!” And more democracy everywhere, please.

Here in Wellington a lot of people seem to be starting to accept that public scrutiny, public access to data and public participation in decision-making are needed to build momentum for real change. I applaud the real steps that have been taken

by Wellington Water, WCC and Greater Wellington Regional Council over recent months. Their important work should be studied, emulated and improved on.

My advice to water companies and councils nationwide is to not be frightened or antagonistic but reserve places at your tables for the community representatives who are pushing for change.

Councillors and mayors aren’t enough. Board members aren’t enough. Open the door. Engage. Revolutionise your data sharing.

We are starting to build effective processes and relationships and I really hope what we learn can help us all protect water, our most precious resource.

Wellington Water chief executive, Colin Crampton, responds The participation of mana whenua and local communities in decision-making and, equally importantly, in taking action to improve the nation’s water quality is essential. As Eugene Doyle points out, so much of what we need to do relies on good information.

Eugene and others have been strong supporters of improving the amount of information we get, sharing that more broadly, and using it to plan and take action that creates the best outcomes, and we’re very grateful for their continuing commitment and passion.

Like Eugene, we want people to bring their community’s views to the table as we prepare our advice to councils on prioritising investment. Good dialogue

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helps raise awareness of the complexity of issues, the responsibilities among different stakeholders, and the time it will take to bring about lasting change. Degradation of urban waterways has taken place over decades as towns and cities have grown, and it will take time to restore them.

We are also particularly concerned to bring the views of mana whenua into planning and investment processes. The knowledge and stories held by mana whenua of their waterways and other significant areas are so much broader than we can get from a pure engineering or even a community perspective.

With respect to a fully integrated approach to caring for water, the environment and people, the country’s water network managers still have much to learn.

Colin Crampton.

A Solution For Residential Developers

Decentralised AdvanTex(R) Wastewater Treatment Plants Installed in Jacks Point.

Residential developments around New Zealand are increasingly facing challenges, partly due to the lack of available wastewater infrastructure. Developers in rural areas are further constrained by zoning rules which limit the minimum size of sections allowed to be developed.

Having rural private decentralised wastewater schemes allows developers to provide wastewater infrastructure and reduce minimum size of sections, and therefore be able to sell more sections. In this way, these decentralised schemes offer developers the potential to subdivide more effectively, maximise financial yield whilst also limiting potential environmental effects caused by domestic wastewater.

This article describes just one example, where the use of an Orenco™ decentralised scheme allowed the iconic Jacks Point residential development just outside of Queenstown to provide hundreds of homes using their own wastewater collection and treatment system.

At the time of its conception (in 2002), the local sewer service was over 8 km away, and the municipal wastewater treatment plant would require an upgrade to accommodate the additional flow generated by Jack’s Point. As such, the developers required an economically sustainable collection system that could handle a variable terrain, followed by a reliable wastewater treatment system that would produce high-quality effluent and could be installed in stages, with minimal visual impact on the community.

During the bidding process, Innoflow Technologies NZ Ltd, a New Zealand based company specialising in wastewater treatment systems, put forth a design-build-operate proposal that incorporated an Orenco® liquid-only sewer, AdvanTex® secondary wastewater treatment, and

Jacks Point, Queenstown.

An on-lot primary tank installed in the front yard of one house at Jacks Point.

subsurface drip irrigation. This proposal was ultimately accepted by the developer and later approved by the Otago Regional Council.

Of all the options considered by the consulting engineers (Lowe Environmental Impact), the liquid-only sewer option was selected as it provided a practical and cost-effective way to deal with wastewater from the subdivision. On-lot primary tanks (purchased by homeowners during construction of their house) pump pre-treated effluent to a liquid only sewer which avoided the shallow depth to bedrock and undulating nature of the terrain. The on-lot primary tanks are also passive and provide plenty of emergency storage.

The AdvanTex® secondary treatment plant equally offers many advantages including low ongoing operating costs and the ability to expand as the subdivision grows, thereby allowing the developer to spread capital costs and avoid over-capitalising.

Ongoing operational maintenance of the scheme is provided by S3 Ltd, a subsidiary of Innoflow Technologies, which ensure the wastewater scheme is functioning as it should be, respond to any emergency call outs as well as engage in consent compliance requirements.

This is just one of many schemes installed by Innoflow Technologies around the country. Many similar schemes have been utilised in Australia and the United States of America using Orenco® liquid-only sewers and AdvanTex® secondary wastewater treatment plants ◆

Planned Development 750 homes (484 currently built), plus a clubhouse 728 m³/day peak capacity Actual Flow (October 2017-April 2020) Actual Ave. Flow: 245 m³/day Actual Peak Flow: 460 m³/day Resource Consent Limits 15 mg/L cBOD5 20 mg/L TSS 20 mg/L TN* 12 mg/L TP 10,000 cfu/100mL E. coli Wastewater Collection Method A 3800 L tank at each home Orenco® liquid-only sewer Wastewater Treatment Plant Orenco AdvanTex® AX100 Treatment Systems Monitoring and Control System Orenco TCOMTM telemetry panel Equipment Supplier Innoflow Technologies NZ Ltd. Operation and Maintenance Provider S3 Ltd. (a subsidiary of Innoflow)

*Limit drops to 5 mg/L if total flows are greater than 425 m³/day five times in a calendar year.

WATER NEW ZEALAND CLIMATE CHANGE

Building the flexibility to

live with

water

Dutch Water Ambassador Henk Ovink was a keynote speaker at the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo in Hamilton last year. He spoke to Newsroom about adapting for climate change and the value of our freshwater resources.

In 2006, climate change skeptics in the United States raged at what they thought was an unrealistic and disrespectful animation in Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”. The graphic showed that the combination of sea-level rise and more powerful storm surges could see the 9/11 memorial site – then under construction – flooded in a serious storm.

In 2012, the animation become reality when Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York City, flooding not only the 9/11 memorial but the city’s subway systems, dozens of schools and more than 100,000 homes.

More than a million people lost power and thousands had to wait more than two months for their electricity to return. A fire triggered by a transformer explosion destroyed 111 homes in the midst of the storm and a quarter of a million vehicles were destroyed. More than 150 Americans were killed.

In the aftermath, then-President Obama brought in Henk Ovink to consult on redeveloping the way New York handles water. Henk came from leading the Office for Spatial Planning and Water Management in the Netherlands and proposed a wide range of solutions to the city’s water problems.

After considerable debate and consultation, some of his ideas were picked up and others were left behind.

Henk now works as a Special Envoy from the Netherlands for international water affairs and spoke virtually at last year’s Water New Zealand Conference & Expo in Hamilton shortly after flooding in Napier rendered more than 100 homes uninhabitable.

Henk was asked whether we need to rethink our approach to water.

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MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND CLIMATE CHANGE

Sea-level rise, and more

Already, just under one percent of our land mass is exposed to coastal flooding. Some 72,000 people live on that land in 35,000 residential buildings. Those buildings, plus the 14,000 commercial buildings exposed to coastal flooding, are worth a combined $12.5 billion.

If sea levels rise 600 millimetres (which NIWA projects will occur by 2070 in the worst-case scenario or by 2110 in optimistic circumstances) the number of people exposed to that flooding nearly doubles to 132,000.

More than 93,000 buildings would be put at risk, with a total replacement cost of $26.2 billion. There are also 2273 kilometres of roads and 14 airports which would be subject to flooding.

Present that data to Henk and his first reaction is to say we need to be looking, and worrying, more comprehensively.

“It is not only about sea-level rise. It is about storms and surges that are intensifying. Oceans are heating up and therefore storms are becoming more impactful.”

Heat waves and droughts are also intensifying.

He’s right. Researchers estimate that every 100 millimetres of sealevel rise – which we’ll easily see in the next two decades – creates the potential for an extra metre of storm surge. In Wellington, that makes one-in-100-year flooding five times more likely to happen.

Take a look, too, at rain itself, Henk offers. Then there’s rivers to consider as well.

“Rain events become more extreme, so it’s not only looking at the coast but also how your cities are being developed. Can they deal with these extreme events? Also, your river systems – do they overflow? In what way can we limit [the risks]?”

“You see around the world that building along our rivers was a great thing in the past, because of trade and fresh water, then all of a sudden we covered them all up [with infrastructure, urbanisation and industry], polluted them.

“Then in the 90s, [with redevelopment of city centres] we figured out it is actually nice to live on the water, it became an economic asset. But no matter what perspective, we limited rivers’ capacity and now with rain events they actually come back at us.”

Taking a myopic approach to sea-level rise risks ignoring other threats from climate change, Henk stresses.

“Looking at climate change from the water perspective means you have to look at all these aspects. If you run away from sea-level rise, you run into your next challenge. The only way to deal with this is comprehensively,” he says.

“If you look at it comprehensively, you can find solutions and approaches in finding ways to develop better that really can mitigate climate change – less emissions and so forth – but also mitigate the risks by becoming more resilient and more adaptive.”

That doesn’t always mean managed retreat from the coasts. It doesn’t necessarily mean storm surge barriers either.

“Does that then mean you have to run away? No, not per se. It can happen. Sometimes that is a very smart strategy, but retreat is also often positioned as a failing approach. Like a last resort.

“But if you look at climate change across all of these aspects, then it is only one aspect of many.

“Then it is not your last resort but it is just part of a bigger

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strategy. The moment you do these single-focused approaches, every one of those approaches looks like a loss. In Bangladesh, they retreat every month and it’s just part of economy and agriculture and society.”

Trying something new

The Dutch, of course, are famed for the lengths they go to ward off the angry North Sea and rivers in the Rhine delta which threaten to swamp the country with every storm. Half of the Netherlands is less than one metre above sea level, including Henk Ovink. a quarter which is actually below sea level. For centuries, the answer has been a complicated series of storm surge barriers, dams and dykes.

More recently, however, even the Dutch have realised that holding off the sea and rivers forever is not by default the best strategy.

In Nijmegen, which sits along a tributary to the mighty Rhine, the government implemented part of a programme called Room for the River, in which new artificial overflow routes were dug through the city. This necessitated the relocation of a number of farms and residences but allows for an extra 16,000 cubic metres per second of water without flooding the city.

Overall, Room for the River is made up of 39 projects dealing with flood risk along the Rhine River delta and attempting new approaches to “living with water” from a comprehensive and sustainable perspective.

This sort of flexibility will be needed here, too, Henk says.

“Looking at climate change from a New Zealand perspective, if you take a very from-the-ground-up approach, really localised and regionalised, really make it from a systems understanding, you’ll come up with comprehensive approaches that mean dealing with your water totally differently, embracing these challenges as an opportunity, build different your communities and economies.

“You’ll change, over time, to a far more resilient and sustainable society than you are now. That will mean that in 200 years, like the rest of the world, New Zealand will look a little different.”

He says this can’t happen without a proper conversation around climate change adaptation. The Room for the River scheme initially provoked backlash from a country used to keeping water out, not letting it in. But it was through consultation and debate that the residents of Nijmegen and neighbouring municipalities along the Rhine and its tributaries were won over.

“Putting risk assessments out in maps and numbers and data is not enough. You have to organise a debate with your communities around understanding these risks. What does it really mean?

When? What are the impacts? What can we do about it? What can government do, but also what can business and society do?

“Just putting out maps for sea-level rise is interesting to provoke as a start, but can never be the end of a debate.”

That debate can be fostered by emergencies like the flooding in Napier. Another revamp of the Dutch government’s approach to water management in 2007 and 2008 was a result of introspection after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. The Dutch government, watching the devastation, asked itself, “Are we ready for something like that?”

This is a question councils around the country are asking too.

In Nelson, the City Council announced that it would be putting a

note on the LIM of coastal properties exposed to sea-level rise, but a similar move on the Kapiti Coast a few years ago led to a protracted court fight and the overturning of the decision by a panel of expert advisors.

In Wellington, where the city council is privately mulling over a 23 percent rate rise in part to fund climate change mitigation (through the Let's Get Wellington Moving programme) and adaptation, residents are crying foul. But without an alternative way to raise funds, councils are stuck with the choice of doing the rational thing and getting voted out or leaving the bill to future generations.

Do we value our water?

Henk also says we need to be careful with our freshwater resources.

Vast swathes of the country’s river length exceed recommended turbidity and nutrient levels. When asked how to balance preserving freshwater with the need for agriculture and industry, Henk says we have to make sure we truly understand the value of water.

“We say wash your hands as a first line of defence [against Covid-19]. Well, if you know that almost 2.5 billion people don’t have access to water, there is really no way of washing your hands.

Over three billion people lack access to hygiene facilities and over four billion to sanitation facilities.

“So yes, water is a critical asset. If you don’t understand how important water is, you also don’t understand how to value it.

“Do we really understand the importance of a freshwater resource

that is clean and available for all?

“All of a sudden you can have a different debate. This is not about punishing agriculture, or industry for that matter. We need agriculture for trade and food, but we also need water. How are you going to balance these interests?

“Agriculture around the world is responsible for drinking up over 75 percent of all the freshwater resources of this planet. That is totally unnecessary.

“We, around the world, have come up with strategies where that use of water is reduced by over 50 percent or more. The way we deal with water in society is unsustainable.”

More broadly, he says New Zealand can learn from Covid-19 for our approach to water and climate change. After all, the millions of square kilometres of ocean between us and any other landmass have played a major role in protecting us from the impacts of the pandemic. Are we doing enough to protect the ocean in response?

“You got together and found a way not to battle the pandemic but to deal with it. I wonder if that can be an inspiration to spark a conversation also on climate [action].

“If this is the future – more challenging, more storms, more heat, more wildfires, and you can’t isolate yourself from them like the virus – what does that mean?

“Can you get together as a country across the lines of interest, across sectors and silos? I think that would be a relevant ask.”

Article reprinted with permission from Newsroom

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WATER NEW ZEALAND TE AO MĀORI

Starting a conversation around

Te Mana o te Wai Water New Zealand is preparing a guide to help members understand key concepts and values underpinning the Te Ao Māori (Māori world view) of the water environment.

Chief executive Gillian Blythe says the new guide will help members to navigate the meaning of Te Mana o te Wai in broad terms, as well as how it will impact them on a practical day-today level.

“Te Mana o te Wai is a term that has been used in the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, however, now the new Water Services Bill also specifically requires that those exercising functions, powers or duties must give effect to Te Mana o Te Wai. “Basically, it’s a concept that recognises the fundamental importance of water and that protecting the health of freshwater protects the health and well-being of the wider environment.”

A clear signal is that there will be stronger protection of freshwater bodies as well as the need to maintain and improve waterways for future generations.

In relation to water services, Te Mana o te Wai not only focuses on source water but also includes the distribution and use of the water in the environment and the community, such as discharges

New training module The Cultural Significance and Importance of Water is a new Water New Zealand training module which is aimed at helping close the big gap that exists in the water sector around the cultural importance and delivery of water.

It will benefit organisations as candidates will bring knowledge back and continue to develop within their organisations. Topics will include an introduction to te ao Māori, a stocktake workshop, indigenous worldview, connection with water, Te Mana o te Wai, equity, Te Reo, and decision frameworks. Keep a lookout on the website for more information.

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from wastewater and stormwater systems.

The core concept of Te Mana o te Wai requires that all water suppliers engage thoroughly with Māori and include them in decision-making. This is an approach designed to integrate local iwi and mana whenua in each step of the water services operations, from management-level decision making to general everyday maintenance and enhancement of water bodies.

In other words, expect Māori to be at the table and to be a decisionmaker for the resources over which they exercise tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty and leadership) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment).

For water service providers, this means that there will be a need to develop relationships with Māori in their respective areas and not simply rely on the processes and procedures in place at council level.

“It has become vital that everyone working in the water sector understands the concept of Te Mana o te Wai and how it will impact on their day-to-day work in water. ”This is a big and exciting journey that will throw up challenges but, at the end of the day, all of us working in this sector are here to make a difference and to do our bit to improve the quality and mana of this precious taonga (treasure).”

The new guide focuses specifically on: • The meaning of Te Mana o te Wai; • Māori interests in freshwater; • Key principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) relevant in the context of freshwater; and • What Te Mana o te Wai means in relation to decision making around water services infrastructure.

Water New Zealand intends to launch the guide at a series of webinars for members starting soon, so keep an eye on the website and Pipeline for more details.

WATER NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE

Clever fix for

PIPE TUNNEL COLLAPSE In Westport, a collapsed supply tunnel meant that the town had to constantly pump water for its 4600 residents. This was expensive and unsustainable, but the Buller District Council persevered to find a world-first solution and as a result, took home the Pipeline and Civil Project Award at the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo.

Teresa Wyndham-Smith explains.

Westport’s raw water supply has come from Giles Creek since 1903.

The 2.5-kilometre reticulation is made up of four hand-dug tunnels linked by timber flumes and bridges, open channels and concrete pipework through native bush and protected wetlands.

Its construction was an amazing feat of engineering using the mining expertise for which the district is famous.

In 2014, however, the main tunnel began to fail. In early 2017 it totally collapsed blocking all water flow.

Given the difficulties and dangers of clearing the collapse it seemed the pipeline would have to be re-laid 3.8 kilometres over ground.

For 18 months the council wrestled with what to do. Then Timaru company Hadlee & Brunton stepped up. The family-owned and run company had previously discounted the job as too risky, but new technology made it possible to fix the tunnels without putting workers inside.

It wouldn’t be a cheap fix, the cost was over twice Council’s budget, but it could be done.

Late in 2018 councillors voted unanimously to accept Hadlee &

Brunton’s tender to pipe the supply tunnels.

The company has been around almost as long as the tunnels, beginning in 1906 as Hadlee & Clough – plumbers, gasfitters and bell hangers.

Today brothers David and Andrew Brunton, father Ross, and staff take on large national infrastructure projects though their core business remains plumbing and gas fitting.

They began Westport’s $6.3 million project in February 2019 meeting with locals who had worked on the tunnels.

Dave Brunton says this was invaluable. It enabled them to hear at first hand the challenges of what lay ahead as well as providing an opportunity to detail their approach and get feedback.

The Westport project was about reinstating the collapsed main tunnel, improving resilience and restoring gravity flow through a new, fully enclosed pipeline.

Fixing the first tunnel was the biggest challenge. At 1.2 kilometres long, and up to 200 metres deep, it’s the longest of the four. The collapsed section was about 200m long, around 500m from the entrance.

Left: Aerial view of the tunnel portal site.

Top: Westport Water Supply.

Above: David Brunton and Ned Tauwhare. An onsite karakia (blessing) was held before the crucial final phase of main tunnel drilling.

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MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE

The work required immense preplanning. Cutting edge technological solutions to track equipment in the tunnels without manned entry were invented. A system was developed to remove collapsed hardwood shoring and rock while installing 360 tonnes of pipe and straightening rock walls.

Some of the specialised gear came from Germany, Scotland and Switzerland. Everything was designed around two Herrenknechts; one a 200 tonne horizontal maxi drill rig, the other a 500 tonne pipe thruster. These were dismantled for transporting across Arthurs Pass and up the winding West Coast roads. Polyethylene pipe, machinery and other supplies were helicoptered in. Former goat tracks had to be rebuilt to allow for trucking of larger machines.

The first job was to establish tunnel access.

About 20,000 cubic metres of rock was removed from a hillside where tunnels one and two intersect at a depth of over 30 metres.

The portal junction worksite created was protected with rock anchors, structural mesh and rock canopies.

On the other side tunnel, one exited a cliff face directly above a river. A junction was dug 20 metres back to connect with the intake. A small shelf was hand dug in front of the opening and a 1.8 tonne excavator with rock breaker helicoptered on to it.

The shelf was enlarged with eight 25-millimetre rock anchors grouted in. A 40 metre Mabey bridge was built in the bush then cantilevered out using precast concrete blocks and water filled IBCs. Mounting brackets with 30-millimetre holes had to be landed directly over the anchors.

Hadlee & Brunton had a secret weapon, a movie industry expert known as ‘Fox’. He developed camera systems that could provide live remote footage of the drilling head from the tunnel to the drill operator.

After the portal, bridge and camera systems were established the 200 tonne maxi drill began work. It fed 1.25 kilometres of oilfield rods from the portal excavation through to the bridge, navigating hardwood columns and major collapses.

Fox’s camera system enabled workers to guide the 200-millimetre diameter rods between timber supports sometimes only 500 millimetres apart. The drill was then taken to the other side of the hill and connected back onto the rods at the bridge. The 500 tonne thruster was installed in the portal. Huge concrete and steel anchor systems were installed on both sides to take the combined 700 tonne force produced by the machines.

A large cutting and towing head, which removed all debris in tunnel one, was connected to the rods in the portal then fitted to the 800-millimetre steel pipe.

Dave Brunton explains; “The thruster was pushing steel pipe as the drill was pulling and cutting. If something went wrong wings could be retracted on the drill reamer to push the assembly back through the pipe without having to go in.”

Over 1.2 kilometres of C350 813-millimetre OD steel pipe, 12 millimetres thick, was pushed through the hill in 24 metre sections following the alignment.

It could withstand further collapse, would last for decades and

A 40-metre Mabey bridge was built in the bush then cantilevered out using precast concrete blocks and water filled IBCs.

710-millimetre PE could be inserted when it did corrode.

The 200 tonne maxi rig pulled 208, 6-metre-long rods drawing the pipe through, averaging eight rods (50 metres) a day.

Andrew Brunton says; “It had a maximum pull of 200 tonne, we got up to about 170 tonnes with about 200 tonne additional push from the thruster.

“We also had to install about 1.5 kilometres of 600-700 diameter PE through the remaining damaged tunnels, open earth flumes, timber bridge flumes and old concrete culverts. Putting this continuous pipe string through tunnels two and three was almost as complicated as the tunnel one rehabilitation.

“We threaded the pipeline through dense native bush and rugged

terrain into the tunnel portals with very little disturbance. Now, all the way from the intake to the reservoir ponds, there’s a solid connected gravity pipe.”

The existing intake weir was rebuilt and fitted with self-cleaning screens, solar powered Scada controlled automated gates and mag meters. There are no valves or automated air intakes. All air is provided through chimneys welded into the pipe.

Hadlee & Brunton worked closely with local contractors and tradespeople.

“It’s important that the guys who have to maintain and run the system are involved in the construction process”, says Dave Brunton.

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AGRULINE FITTINGS & PIPES R E S I STA N T TO C R AC K S LONGER SERVICE LIFE crack resistant PE 100-RC HIGH ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY sandbed-free installation LASTING CONNECTIONS better welding results “They had the opportunity to make suggestions and tweaks to improve system workability as work progressed.”

Local iwi Ngati Waewae was also represented on the project board. An on‐site karakia (blessing) before the crucial final phase of main tunnel drilling had a big impact on all gathered.

One of the biggest challenges was weather.

Over 100 official rain days were logged during the 300-day construction period. Dave Brunton says this affected portal excavation.

“Every time it rained, we had to shut the operation. We couldn’t risk any of the guys or machinery, so we switched the programme around.

“The second half was going to be work below tunnel four and lining two and three. We did that first and carried on doing tracks and prepping for tunnel one.”

The system has been operating successfully since fully commissioned in December 2019. Whereas original design called for operating capacity of 120 l/s the company’s design delivers over 250 l/s.

The Buller District Council’s group manager infrastructure services, Mike Duff, says the project is a major achievement.

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The portal site. Some of the specialised gear came from Germany, Scotland and Switzerland. Everything was designed around two Herrenknechts; one a 200 tonne horizontal maxi drill rig, the other a 500 tonne pipe thruster.

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“It’s renewed a vital asset for the town securing the supply for at least another century.”

Hadlee & Brunton’s approach was the safest option, had less impact on the environment and adjacent landholders, was quicker than going overland and ongoing maintenance costs would be lower, he says.

This was confirmed when major slips came down late last year. If the open cut pipeline had been in place as proposed it would have been wiped out.

Buller mayor Jamie Cleine praises the company’s approach.

“Their reporting to the council was excellent and that helped build community confidence.”

Hadlee & Brunton kept in close contact with the local daily paper, The News, including taking reporters for site visits. Their articles, and council newsletters, kept the community updated.

Over $1 million, or about 15 percent, of project value was returned to Buller businesses including trade contractors, professional services, retail and hospitality providers. Buller District Council chief executive Sharon Mason says it was fantastic for the town.

“The increase for local businesses really benefitted the community.”

Dave Brunton pays tribute to the council.

“It’s tough for a Council like Buller. They’ve a tiny ratepayer base, huge land area, very old infrastructure. But they were ready to look at it from a different angle – to back us and believe in what we put forward – many other councils wouldn’t have been brave enough to make that call.”

Mike Duff says Hadlee & Brunton carried out the project on time and under budget.

“The equipment, techniques and methodology to complete this work have never been applied before in New Zealand, it’s likely a world first.”

WATER TUNNEL PIPELINE PROJECT AWARDS The Buller District Council and its main contractor Hadlee & Brunton won two awards for its Westport Water Tunnel Pipeline Project.

At the 2020 Water New Zealand Conference & Expo it won the Pipeline & Civil Project award. It was then highly commended in the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia awards in the ‘Best Public Works Project over $5 million’ category.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE

Central Interceptor project underway Auckland’s Central Interceptor is the country’s largest underground wastewater project and is heralded as the answer to Auckland’s future growth and current overflow problems. Construction work began last year, and Richard Silcock looks at the progress so far.

The $1.2 billion, Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel will run for 14.7 kilometres from near Western Springs in Grey Lynn to the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in South Auckland.

It features numerous links with other existing sewers and shafts along the tunnel route.

This enormous infrastructure project is being undertaken by the Ghella Abergeldie JV1 for Auckland Council’s water utility company, Watercare.

Once completed, it will provide a major wastewater system that will cater for the increasing population growth and building infill of Auckland and help transfer and contain wastewater and stormwater overflows emanating from some older infrastructure.

There are still a few areas of Auckland, such as northwest Mt Eden/Sandringham, where both wastewater and stormwater currently flows into a combined network of pipes 2 and following heavy rain these pipes are overwhelmed, resulting in street flooding with contaminated water and overflows into the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours at various locations.

“The Central Interceptor tunnel system will largely eliminate this from happening and as a result Aucklanders will benefit from better water quality and far cleaner beaches and waterways,” says Watercare’s executive project director, Shayne Cunis.

“It will at the very least reduce overflows in central Auckland and the western isthmus by up to 80 percent and provide additional capacity particularly in the eastern and western parts of the city.”

Preliminary construction work commenced in August last year at the extremities of the project and along the tunnel route at Mt Roskill and Hillsborough.

The excavation and construction of the pumping station shaft walls were carried out with a special hydrofraise machine and excavators.

48 www.waternz.org.nz

WATER NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE

Construction of two interconnecting shafts for an underground pumping station adjoining the Mangere WWTP also started and are made up of a 38-metre-deep main shaft (wet well) and an inlet shaft, which is 32-metres deep.

Construction for these shafts was carried by a special hydrofraise machine3 to simultaneously excavate the earth and fill the shaft with bentonite slurry. Once the required depth was reached, reinforced steel cylindrical cages were lowered into position in the shaft and concrete pumped in to create the perimeter structural support walls for the shafts known as diaphragm or ‘D’ walls. As the ‘D’ walls are created around the reinforcing steel the bentonite is slowly drawn off.

These excavations are now complete along with the concrete slab base at the bottom of each shaft.

“This was a very complex, highly specialised form of construction so we sourced experts from Italy and around the world to operate it,” says Shayne.

“The inlet shaft will receive the incoming wastewater from the tunnel from where it will be transferred to the main shaft and pumped into a twin rising main and confluence chamber before being pumped to, and treated at the WWTP.” The actual tunnel construction is due to start in April/May 2021 following the assembly of a huge tunnel boring machine (TBM).

This state-of-the-art tunnelling machine, which arrived in Auckland in November 2020, was specifically designed and built in Germany by Herrenknecht, one of the largest TBM manufacturers in the world.

Left: A cage suspended from a crane was used to lower men and equipment into the main shaft at Mangere during construction. Top: Construction of two interconnecting shafts for an underground pumping station adjoining the Mangere WWTP also started and are made up of a 38-metre-deep main shaft (wet well) and an inlet shaft, which is 32-metres deep. Above: Construction of the pipes for the rising main at the Mangere WWTP pump station.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE

Enclosed with this issue of Water and online! www.nzgreenpages.org.nz

• Find out who you can go to for the service or products you need.

Footnotes 1. Ghella is an Italian company founded in 1894. It has over 125 years of experience in tunnelling both in Italy and worldwide. Abergeldie is an Australasian shaft and pipe jacking contractor and has over 30 years of tunnelling experience in New Zealand working on similar water and wastewater projects.

2. Greater Auckland is currently serviced by approximately 8000 kilometres of wastewater pipes and 18 WWTP’s.

3. A hydrofraise machine is a reverse circulation excavating machine consisting of a steel frame supporting a bank of geared rotating tungsten cutting wheels. The wheels rotate in opposing directions, excavating the soil and simultaneously mixing it with slurry before pumping it out and lining the shaft wall with reinforced concrete.

52 www.waternz.org.nz

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The tunnel will be constructed with a 1:1000 metre slope and largely rely on gravity and flow to carry wastewater to the pump station at Mangere.

Construction will also include structures at the connection points with other wastewater pipes. These will include access shafts, drop shafts, flow control units, overflow structures, grit traps, air vents and air treatment units.

The new tunnel will link up with the western end of the Orakei wastewater system that serves the eastern suburbs at two separate points and provide a more direct route to the Mangere WWTP. In addition to the main tunnel, a number of new branch network tunnels will also be constructed, the largest of which will be the two-kilometre extension to connect with the existing Grey Lynn wastewater tunnel. Back-up generators at the new Mangere pump station will also be installed to provide electrical power in the event of a power outage.

As a legacy, the Ghella Abergeldie JV, with its significant tunnelling experience will pass on some of this expertise and knowledge to the New Zealand contractors assisting with the project.

The Central Interceptor is scheduled to be completed during 2025.

The NZ Infras & Environm tructure, Water ent Directory

Edition 29

If you need to know who does what in the water industry, this is a targeted must-have resource:

Top: Tunnel boring machine (TBM). This state-of-the-art tunnelling machine, arrived in Auckland in November 2020. Above: Closeup of the hydrofraise machine.

2021

e, Wat er & Envi ronm ent

• At 14.7 kilometres long, the Central Interceptor is the longest wastewater tunnel to be built in this country.

• The tunnel will be 4.5 metres in diameter.

• It will have a capacity to store and control 200,000 cubic metres of wastewater and stormwater.

• The tunnel will be constructed at a 1:1000 metre downward slope from Grey Lynn to Mangere.

• There will be 19 permanent shafts.

• Approximately 54,750 reinforced trapezoidal concrete segments will be required to line the tunnel walls.

• The TBM is 190-metres long and 4.5 metres in diameter. The spinning, cutting head comprises banks of steel cutters and rippers.

The NZ Infrastructure, Water & Environment Directory

The NZ Infra stru ctur

Key Facts

2021

Edit ion 29

At 190 metres long, it is named Hiwa-i-te-Rangi after one of the Matariki stars and translates to ‘vigorous growth’.

Starting at Mangere, the TBM will bore a 4.5 metre-diameter tunnel through the ground at a rate of around 5-20 metres per day at a depth of up to 110 metres. As it bores through the earth and rock strata of mudstone and sandstone and around or under the Kaawa aquifer formations, it will also place and line the tunnel with curved, reinforced concrete panel segments.

These trapezoidal shaped segments, which are each about 1.6 metres square and 350mm thick, include a polyethylene membrane that will provide the lining for the tunnel. Six segments will be required to line the 4.5 metre circumference of the tunnel wall for every one-metre length of the tunnel.

Tommaso Grosso, construction manager for the Ghella Abergeldie JV, says they will be operating a 24 hour, six days a week shift and do not expect any significant challenges or to encounter ground water issues as they will be tunnelling well below known aquifer pockets and areas of hard rock.

“Geotechnical mapping has shown us where the ground water is, so in the unlikely event we do encounter ground water along the route of the tunnel, due to the specific design of the TBM it will be of no consequence as it has been built to deal with such conditions and it will be operating in a pressure vacuum.

“Likewise, where we tunnel under the Manukau Harbour, the same methodology will apply as it does for the rest of the tunnel boring operation.

“The tunnel will pass under the harbour at approximately 15-metres below the seabed before reaching the wet well and pumping station at the WWTP.” Tommaso says the biggest challenge in these pandemic times will be the recruitment of skilled tunnellers. Some 35 Italian and foreign workers are expected to fly into the country around February/ March and begin a 14-day quarantining period.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND COMMENT

The third core area of work is our Major Projects Advisory function. One of Te Waihanga’s key roles is to support government agencies, local authorities and others to procure and deliver major infrastructure projects.

We have a framework for assessing projects based on risk, strategic fit and value, which we apply when determining what level of support we can provide on the procurement and delivery of major infrastructure projects. Our goal is to supplement rather than replace existing capacity with our major project expertise and target our effort toward activity that has a system-wide impact.

As an initial step towards developing the strategy, we are working on a series of reports that look at the current state of play in infrastructure sectors. So far, we have published three of these, on telecommunications, energy, and, most recently, water.

Water is an essential resource, arguably the most important on the planet. It is critical to life and to the way we live. Few people realise how important it is to their well-being until it is broken.

Recent incidents show that parts of the country have relied upon investments made by generations before, many of which are reaching the end of their life.

Our Water Sector State of Play highlights where good practice is happening and where improvements need to be made. These are based on a review of existing literature as well as interviews

with experts in the sector.

Building our picture of the sector and what’s on the horizon is an important step toward planning for 2050. Some of the issues, like the need to renew aging networks and meet the health needs of communities, have become very visible. While others, like the fragmented nature of the sector or the difficulties in accessing skilled staff, might be below the radar but are still critical to the future.

Climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather it can bring will also have significant implications for our water infrastructure. These can range from floods that test our river controls and flood protection, to droughts that will impact the water supply.

We are pleased to see the Government has committed to much-needed reform of our drinking, waste and stormwater to lift performance. We need to empower water service providers to achieve greater economies of scope and scale – this is essential to delivering services more efficiently and lifting the level of service in our three waters sector.

We welcome feedback on our state of play – let us know if we’ve got it right or if there are issues or information that we have missed.

The Water State of Play, along with information on how to have your say, can be found on the Te Waihanga website, www.infracom.govt.nz/strategy/state-of-plays/water/.

Te Waihanga’s state of play Te Waihanga’s purpose is to improve lives through better infrastructure through three core areas of work, a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy, the national infrastructure pipeline, and our Major Projects Advisory function.

Ross Copland, CEO New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga.

We aim to lift the level at which infrastructure is planned and delivered, taking a strategic approach so that we stand well prepared in the face of an uncertain future.

The Infrastructure Strategy will identify the root cause of systemic issues and make recommendations, looking at how our infrastructure can help improve the well-being of the public.

Te Waihanga will consult in mid-2021 before the final Strategy draft is sent to the Minister for Infrastructure in September 2021. The minister will then consider our recommendations for adoption, before tabling the final strategy in Parliament.

The infrastructure pipeline’s role is to have a single trusted

54 www.waternz.org.nz

source of information for the construction industry, detailing investment intentions over the medium term.

It allows procuring agencies to examine the investment intentions of the market in the places and at the times they wish to invest so that collectively, better decisions on location and timing of investment can be made.

As the sophistication and completeness of the dataset evolves, the pipeline will allow the construction industry to plan, remove speculation, provide improved forecasting, and, we anticipate, it will be a catalyst for attracting new entrants driving competition and innovation.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND TECHNOLOGY/BIOGAS

Huge opportunity for

wastewater biogas solutions Biogas and biomethane have the potential to ease the country’s dependence on natural gas and help meet our net-zero carbon target. Jack Timings, lead process engineer for the Biogas Study, looks at the challenges and the opportunities this solution presents.

56 www.waternz.org.nz

New Zealand has been a world leader in renewable energy for many decades; the abundance of clean energy from our hydrogeneration and geothermal power stations has helped create one of the world’s greenest energy mixes, with 80 percent of our electricity now being renewable.

That said, NZ is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels when it comes to non-electrical energy, which reduces this percentage considerably. In 2019, only 39.5 percent of our overall energy came from renewable sources, and NZ consumed 145PJ of electricity, and over 180PJ of natural gas.

Natural gas plays a key role in our electricity system. It supports the intermittency of renewable energy, provides for peaking base load generation and covers dry year risk. Natural gas also has a significant role in industry with hard-to-treat emissions sectors, such as high-temperature process heat, and it is also used as feedstock for manufacturing.

In 2019, a total of 3.3PJ of energy was produced across eight WWTPs, several industrial effluent treatment plants including Fonterra’s Tirau site,

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WATER NEW ZEALAND TECHNOLOGY/BIOGAS

The need for change

It’s hard to imagine a single technical solution that could ensure the longevity of our nation’s gas habit, given our reliance on natural gas for heating and electricity. But the country has committed to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, and the recent He Pou a Rangi report emphasises the need to make significant progress in decarbonising process heat and electricity generation by 2035.

Many countries already employ a wide array of strategies to take the CO2 out of their natural gas grid. One of the most promising is biomethane; a low-emission, sustainable drop-in replacement for natural gas. But whether the technology is appropriate for implementation at-scale in New Zealand is a difficult question to answer.

The water sector has achieved considerable success in producing biogas from wastewater sludge, but what is the real potential of biogas?

To help answer this question, Beca, Firstgas, Fonterra and EECA are collaborating on a first-of-its-kind study into the potential for biogas to play a key role in the decarbonisation of our energy system.

Combining Beca’s experience in the industrial, water and energy sectors, Firstgas’ experience as owner and operator of the country’s largest natural gas network, Fonterra’s experience as a gas user and biogas generator, and EECA’s role in promoting an energy efficient future, the study team comprises a broad range of knowledge and passion to investigate the potential for this exciting, sustainable fuel.

The study is expected to be completed in April 2021 and will be published for all to read. A wider stakeholder review process will also take place toward the end of March, facilitated by the Bioenergy Association.

The facts about biogas

Biogas is generated by the microbial digestion of organic material in anaerobic conditions, for example, in a capped landfill system or in a purpose-built anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at a wastewater treatment plant.

It consists of about 60-70 percent biogenic methane, 25-35 percent carbon dioxide, with the remainder being water vapour and impurities such as nitrogen or hydrogen sulphide.

This gas can either be burned as it is for heat, used to generate heat and power in specially designed engines, or refined to biomethane and used as a carbon-neutral substitute for natural gas.

Biogas can be created from a wide variety of feedstocks, including sewage sludge, crop residues, animal manure, industrial effluent/wastewater or food waste.

The production of biogas also creates other valuable products.

The digested, inert biomaterial left over at the end of the digestion process can be used as a fertiliser or nutrient substitute for agricultural production.

In the EU, legislation like PAS110 allows the use of AD biosolids and liquids as fertiliser supplements or replacements to be sold to farmers and gardeners as an organic substitute for chemical fertilisers. The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand is

Water, wastewater and water managment; pumping solutions for all your requirements.

currently working on a proposal to adapt these regulations to our existing legal frameworks, which could create a similar market for these products locally.

Separated CO2 can be refined and used in methanation processes to create methane from green hydrogen or for carbonation of soft drinks. Green CO2 might seem a bit of a misnomer, but if CO2 from anaerobic digestion could replace carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuels, there could be huge benefits.

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Where are we at?

New Zealand’s current production of biogas is dominated by three sources: landfill gas recovery (LFGR), industrial effluent treatment plants, and sludge digestion at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

In 2019, a total of 3.3PJ of energy was produced across eight WWTPs, several industrial effluent treatment plants including Fonterra’s Tirau site, and 13 landfills with combined heat and power (CHP) plants. As context, 3.3PJ represents half the residential gas demand, so our current biogas generation is in no way insignificant at a national level.

Today, this gas is generally burned at its source to generate electricity and heat. In some cases, excess heat and CO2 can be used by nearby agricultural facilities. For example, Redvale landfill sends a portion of the hot water and CO2 generated by its gas engines to a local greenhouse.

Recently, plans for a purpose-built biogas plant for source-

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59

WATER NEW ZEALAND TECHNOLOGY/BIOGAS

segregate organic waste was announced in Reporoa. The first of its kind in New Zealand, it will accept food waste from local municipal collections to create carbon-neutral methane for a local Turners & Growers plant and produce biofertiliser from the waste that will be suitable for local agricultural operations. The plant is expected to be operational in 2022.

While these initiatives are promising, the majority of potential biogas feedstocks in New Zealand are still under-utilised, and most end up in landfill, where large quantities of biogenic methane escape into the atmosphere over time.

This is a missed opportunity – done well, anaerobic digestion and biogas collection can reduce biogenic carbon emissions from organic waste by over 90 percent!

According to the WWTP Inventory, the total volume of wastewater that flows through the eight that use anaerobic sludge digestors is around 21 million cubic metres per year, which is less than five percent of the wastewater treated annually! Even with our best-utilised feedstocks, there is massive room for growth in this sector.

What about biomethane?

When it comes to biomethane production, we still have a long way to go to catch up to overseas markets. Currently, none of the biogas produced here is upgraded to be a drop-in methane substitute.

Biogas and biomethane is a well-established industry in both developing countries without easy access to grid power as well as developed countries looking to limit emissions associated with their energy usage.

Globally, there are over 132,000 anaerobic digestion plants that generate gas for electricity, heat and biomethane production, and over 50 million small-scale digesters providing cheap and safe energy to less-developed communities.

In 2016, over 87,500GWh of biogas was generated worldwide.

Encouragingly, many of these plants started as ways for communities to produce their own heat and power, before transitioning to supply a local or national electricity grid, and then finally producing biomethane as markets for renewable energy evolved.

A number of countries have successfully implemented gridscale biomethane processes that supply carbon-free methane to their national grids, and this provides an easy mechanism for gas users to decarbonise their operations.

In Europe and North America, biomethane use has expanded rapidly over the past 15 years. In Europe, there are over 540 biomethane refining plants turning raw biogas into a direct natural gas substitute, ready for grid injection or for use in CNG vehicles.

Denmark, a country with a similar population to New Zealand, generated enough biomethane in 2020 that renewable natural gas accounted for 20 percent of its natural gas consumption. It is expected that by 2035, Denmark’s national gas grid will be running entirely on biomethane!

What challenges do we face?

Uptake of this technology in other countries did not happen overnight; nor without proper incentives.

When we think about biogas and the potential for biomethane

60 www.waternz.org.nz

production in a New Zealand context, there are some real challenges and barriers to consider. As part of our joint study, we’ll be taking a closer look at the impacts of these and what they mean for a successful uptake of biomethane here.

First, our size and low population density means that potential generators of biogas and potential buyers of renewable gas are seldom located next door to each other. In the South Island especially, without a high-pressure gas pipeline, there are significant technical hurdles to overcome to create an effective and economically viable biomethane supply chain that can hold its own against the incumbent energy sources.

Some small-scale operators overseas are producing bio-LPG from biogas, which is easier to bottle and transport by vehicle in places without gas network infrastructure.

Secondly, there are few producers of organic waste that could achieve the required scale to run their own biomethane grid injection facility. One way around this would be to create central processing operations that accept a range of organic waste from regional partners, but knowing exactly where to place these is a complex exercise.

In addition, digestion systems designed to accept a large variety of feedstocks are generally less efficient than digesters designed for consistent feeds.

Wastewater treatment plants are some of the most developed users of anaerobic digestion technology in New Zealand, and many plants successfully generate and use biogas to process sewage sludge and help run their operations. However, without also accepting other sources of organic material, it becomes difficult to produce enough gas to become energy-independent, as well as sell excess to other gas users.

In the UK and California, wastewater treatment plants have partnered with wineries and local councils to find new disposal mechanisms for their organics, diverting waste from landfill and boosting biogas yields of their operations. Similar partnerships could succeed here, but each plant would require unique partnerships.

New Zealand also lacks some of the legislative/economic levers that have boosted the uptake of scalable biogas/biomethane.

Denmark introduced a ban on organic waste to landfill, the UK set up Renewable Heat Incentive funds, and there are feed-in tariffs for biomethane in Italy, Sweden and Germany.

However, mechanisms such as the promised increase in landfill taxes and new government funding for process heat decarbonisation may help to tip the balance here in favour of grid-scale biomethane in the coming years.

How optimistic can we be?

Our commitment to achieving carbon zero means we need to explore and invest in many different technologies. This may work to our advantage when it comes to cementing the case for biogas and biomethane production.

In addition to wind, solar power, biomass and hydrogen, we believe there is a huge opportunity for this technology to play a part in our energy transition.

Through the publication of our study in April, we hope to provide real evidence that biogas and biomethane is worthy of a strong seat at the table and can promise a wide range of benefits for the people of New Zealand as we move towards 2050.

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MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

61

WATER NEW ZEALAND WASTEWATER

Building wastewater resilience in Tauranga

from beginning to end

Te Maunga wastewater treatment plant

Tauranga City Council and Beca have worked together over the past six years to plan, design, and construct wastewater upgrades to cater for growth and improve resilience to a variety of potential natural hazards and climate change impacts. Tauranga City Council’s Wally Potts, and Kristina Hermens and Garry Macdonald from Beca share examples of how staged planning for operational and natural hazard resilience can lead to better community outcomes.

Tauranga is served by two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), Chapel St and Te Maunga, with an approximate 50:50 catchment split. In an unusual configuration, the two WWTPs have recently been connected at both the beginning and end of the trunk collection and conveyance system (refer figure 1).

Secondary treated effluent from both WWTPs is polished through separate constructed wetlands and then combined to pass through a UV disinfection plant before being discharged

62 www.waternz.org.nz

through an ocean outfall.

Memorial Park pump station is a key network component that provides exceptional operational flexibility and resilience in controlling flows between the WWTPs. This pump station is configured so that wastewater flows can be switched dynamically (from 0 to 100 percent) between the two.

Typically, the plants are loaded organically during normal dry weather operation and hydraulically during large wet weather MARCH / APRIL 2021 WATER NEW ZEALAND

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WATER NEW ZEALAND WASTEWATER

Figure 1: Overview of Tauranga wastewater network.

events. Flows and loads are also shifted between plants during major maintenance events.

Key drivers to improve resilience

The council has several key drivers to improve the resilience of its wastewater scheme, such as population growth, community expectations, natural hazard risks and the effects of climate change.

In the past 20 years, Tauranga has experienced considerable growth as people seek more affordable housing and an outdoor lifestyle. The demographic is changing from a large proportion of retired residents to include more working families and local businesses.

This growth has contributed to significant commercial and residential developments around the city’s two WWTPs and is the main driver for WWTP upgrades planned over the next 30 years.

Community expectations around levels of service are an important factor in wastewater management. National environmental and local government legislation has long required the council to consult with its communities regarding the social, cultural, environmental and economic effects of wastewater activities. However, there is a step change underway as resource management reform is progressed and national policy statements and environmental standards are implemented.

This is encouraging the council to further include the community, particularly tāngata whenua and other key stakeholders, in the planning and operation of its wastewater scheme.

64 www.waternz.org.nz

Approximately 170 pump stations collect wastewater via gravity from properties across the city, which is subsequently conveyed to the two WWTPs located at sea level.

Treated effluent from the WWTPs is then discharged through a one-kilometre-long ocean outfall. The WWTPs are located in harbour inundation zones and are at risk of flooding, tsunami, coastal erosion and other effects of rising sea levels. The lowlying ground is also subject to liquefaction in a seismic event. The outfall is laid upon the seabed and is subject to similar hazards.

Improving treatment plant resilience at the Te Maunga WWTP An example of high-level seismic resilience planning recently carried out at Te Maunga WWTP is an overall resilience risk assessment to inform the design basis of new or upgraded infrastructure.

The Te Maunga WWTP was commissioned in 1997 and consists of pre-treatment, secondary treatment comprising extended aeration, secondary clarification and sludge thickening and dewatering. The dewatered biosolids are composted off site, and the final effluent then gravitates to flow-balancing ponds and wetlands, to combine with the Chapel St effluent and UV disinfection before being pumped out to sea via the ocean outfall.

Over $185 million of capital upgrades are planned for Te Maunga WWTP during the next three decades.

Recent upgrades have been the refurbishment of the bioreactor, grit removal improvement and the construction of a new biosolids thickening and dewatering facility.

Upcoming capital projects include new inlet works, a second bioreactor, a third clarifier, new outfall pump station and outfall.

As the WWTP is located near sea level and adjacent to the harbour, the underlying marine sediments are soft and subject to liquefaction. Construction of large structures (e.g. bioreactor, clarifier and buildings) requires significant ground improvements which can be up to half of the overall capital cost.

New process units have raised equipment and/or floor levels to avoid the effects of flooding, sea level rise and coastal inundation.

In the mid-term, the council plans to construct a raised road around the site to effectively bund the WWTP from the harbour.

The resilience risk assessment reviewed the existing and known planned process units for Te Maunga WWTP and categorised them based on criticality (1=most critical to 3=least critical); of risk to various types of hazard (L=low, M=medium, H=high). This information is combined with an assessment of seismic importance levels; ultimate limit states (ULS) and serviceability limit states (SLS).

For example, the outfall pump station is classified as a type 1 critical asset as 100 percent of Tauranga’s wastewater effluent passes through this process unit. The next upgrade should consider mitigation against high risks such as fire, power and fuel disruption, lightning strike, explosion, tornado, flooding, tsunami, earthquakes and vandalism.

Based on this, the outfall pump station would be designed to Building Code Importance Level 3 (structures that have contents of high value to the community) with a design life of 100 years and a ULS of 1/2500 annual probability exceedance (APE).

Carrying out an overall resilience risk assessment means that all process units at Te Maunga WWTP have been considered in terms of vulnerability to operational and natural hazard risk which can be used to inform the design basis of future upgrades.

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Safeguarding the most critical assets

The council is implementing a combination of operational and capital improvements to increase resilience of its wastewater outfall system.

The ocean outfall and the outfall pump station are the most critical assets in the wastewater inventory. All flows from both WWTPs must pass through this outfall system to prevent discharges to Tauranga Harbour. The outfall was commissioned in 1979 and allowed the decommissioning of the harbour discharge from the Chapel St WWTP. The ocean outfall consists of two sections. The first is the landward section from the outfall pump station to the coast.

This is about two kilometres long and the flow passes through a UV disinfection plant just downstream of the outfall pump station. The landward section comprises 600mm concrete pipe with rubber ring joints.

The second section is the marine outfall and this discharges

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The marine section is 600mm post-tensioned concrete pipes.

The two sections of pipe are connected at a beach manhole, which is the highest elevation for the outfall, prior to diving under the seabed.

At the time the outfall was launched from the beach to the sea there was a storm and the marine section received damage to many of the joints. These have been repaired with steel bands and grout.

Similarly, the landward section received damage via overpressure pumping in 2012 and there was a discharge into the coastal dune area. Accordingly, the outfall has been de-rated to 18 metres of head at the beach manhole.

The lower pump rating is significant as it reduces peak flow from 900 l/s to 550 l/s. The lower peak pump rate means that a replacement outfall must be constructed ahead of the initial design life. This poses significant cost and risk for the construction of a new outfall through a (now) fully developed landward alignment.

Routine maintenance of the outfall includes biannual dye tests to see if any leaks are present underwater requiring repairs; the diffuser section inspected at least annually, cleaned, measured

66 www.waternz.org.nz

Chapel St wastewater treatment plant.

for any debris in the diffuser; and the cathodic protection anodes renewed if needed.

Due to the fragile nature of the outfall, there are some detailed investigations underway to better understand the condition and performance of this asset. These include soft pigging and CCTV to see if relining the pipe is a viable option to defer the more expensive replacement option.

Any relining option will require a clean bore in the host pipe which is unlikely given the extent of grout injection into joints in the past. However, it is worth exploring and good constructability advice has been provided by contractors capable of doing this work.

In 2021, the landward section will be renewed and upgraded from a concrete 600mm pipe to 1200mm heavy wall PE butt welded pipe.

The marine section is planned for replacement in about 2033.

The new landline has been sized for a 100-year life – through to 2120 – based on population projections for the whole city catchment and a new outfall pump station is also planned for these much higher future flows.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND LEGAL

Local Government (Three Waters Reform) Amendment Bill In this article we provide an update on the three waters reform, including the Water Services Bill which is currently open for submissions and the upcoming Local Government (Three Waters Reform) Amendment Bill. We also provide a brief overview of the draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity. transferring council water infrastructure and service delivery responsibilities to new entities in around 2023/24.

It has been acknowledged that there may be legislative obstacles for councils to make these decisions and amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 may be required.

This will run alongside a nationwide public information and education campaign to provide a national picture of the case for change.

By Helen Atkins, director and Tom Gray, solicitor, Atkins Holm Majurey.

The Government has committed to addressing the infrastructure deficit facing local government water service providers by reforming three waters service delivery arrangements to create a smaller number of large-scale water entities, which can raise the required debt to fund improvements.

A December 2020 Cabinet Paper and minute has detailed the Government’s commitment to progressing the comprehensive reforms over the next term of government.

Central government will provide details and supporting information, including design proposals, ownership, governance, control and accountability arrangements before the decision-making window.

There will also be some incentives to encourage councils to participate in the reforms.

Giving effect to a decision to participate would involve the enactment of substantive legislation establishing new water services entities in 2022, and

Water Services Bill

The Water Services Bill was introduced to Parliament in July 2020 and is now before the select committee. The submission period closed on 2 March 2021. This Bill is a companion to the Tamata Arowai – The Water Services Regulator Act 2020.

The Water Services Bill proposes a new regulatory regime for managing drinking water supply and the obligations on drinking water suppliers proposed by the Bill are more onerous than those under the existing Health Act regime.

Wider three waters reform

The Minister of Local Government will seek priority for a Local Government (Three Waters Reform) Amendment Bill to be introduced by 1 April 2021 and passed by 1 November 2021. Drafting instructions were to be given to the Parliamentary Counsel Office by 1 February 2021. The main objectives of this Bill are to:

• Address the statutory obstacles in local government legislation that prohibit councils from divesting ownership of, or control over, water infrastructure assets and services, but only for the purposes of making a decision to participate in the Government’s reform proposals to create new water service entities; • Remove or amend the detailed legislative requirements in local government legislation relating to council consultation, longterm planning, and decision making for the purposes of making a decision to participate in the Government’s reforms; and • Provide a fit-for-purpose consultation process, based on the provisions in the LGA02, which sets out how local government would engage with communities and iwi/Māori about the reform proposals, and make decisions.

The process that will be used to identify the number and boundaries of entities is still to be confirmed but a shortlist is expected to be identified before engagement with local government and iwi/Māori

will occur in March 2021. Proposals for the final number and boundaries of entities, and which entity each council will be a part of, will be considered by Cabinet in April/May 2021.

National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity The draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) was released in 2019 with a discussion document and consultation on the draft closed in March 2020.

The pandemic put the further development of the NPSIB on hold but the Associate Minister for the Environment has now indicated that the NPSIB will be delivered in April 2021.

The NPSIB introduces stricter policies for restoring and enhancing biodiversity, including in and around waterways, and for significant natural areas. Significant natural areas may also include wetlands and waterways.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND TECHNOLOGY

Revealing groundwater’s

denitrification capacity A new method has been developed for measuring the natural process that can reduce nitrogen entering rivers. Research has shown how this varies across regions depending on the amount of oxygen in groundwater, and a national map of denitrification is the next step.

Denitrification is a natural process that reduces the amount of nitrate entering rivers and other freshwater bodies. In some groundwater systems, microorganisms turn nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas (known as ‘benign denitrification’), significantly reducing nitrate concentrations.

Over the past couple of years, Our Land and Water National Science Challenge research teams have developed a better understanding of the process and have developed a better way to measure it.

Understanding more about denitrification is important because it helps us understand where land use can be better matched to land suitability. Areas with high groundwater denitrification capacities may be suitable for more intensive land use, while other areas with less capacity could be used less intensively.

The Our Land and Water research proved the denitrification capacity of groundwater varies across regions. The main end product of groundwater denitrification (harmless nitrogen gas, or the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide) also varied, depending on the amount of oxygen in the groundwater.

Another research project proved a new way to measure denitrification in groundwater, which could make analysing groundwater’s denitrification capacity more accessible for regional councils and farmers. The method compares the ratios of dissolved nitrogen, neon and argon gases in groundwater, to find ‘excess’ dissolved nitrogen gas (more than could originate from air) that can only be from denitrification.

The new method for measuring excess nitrogen can be used to locate and characterise groundwater denitrification sites, so spatial variability of sites and rates can be mapped.

Our Land and Water is now establishing a team to produce a national map of denitrification potential in the subsurface

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Rangitikei and Tararua river catchment modelling Researchers looked at the likely results of strategically intensifying and de-intensifying land based on its denitrification capacity.

Modelling for the Rangitikei and Tararua river catchments indicates that relocating intensive dairy farming to areas with high subsurface denitrification capacity could reduce the amount of nitrate entering surface waterbodies from dairying by over 15 percent in the two catchments (supported by selective grazing and cutand-carry on free-draining areas with low subsurface denitrification capacity).

Combining the subsurface denitrification capacity with purposebuilt drainage management could reduce nitrate loads from dairying by over 25 percent in the catchments, according to the modelling.

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environment. This team will analyse groundwaters in every region of the country, to establish the relationship between low oxygen groundwaters and their denitrification capability.

A national map of groundwater denitrification potential could be used to reduce the amount of nitrate entering rivers and other surface freshwater bodies from groundwater systems.

A map would allow land stewards to identify whether their land’s rate of nitrogen loss is impairing catchment water quality or largely being attenuated within the ground water. It will help identify and prioritise areas to target with nitrogen-leaching mitigation measures, and avoid unnecessary investment to reduce rootzone nitrogen losses in areas where naturally existing groundwater denitrification processes reduce nitrate concentrations.

The excess nitrogen method to measure groundwater denitrification has been developed and tested with Horizons Regional Council, Environment Southland and Waikato Regional Council. The next step is to partner with other regional councils to test it in larger catchments.

Both the map and classification approach will inform allocation by the Ministry of the Environment and regional councils. Identifying the location and efficiency of groundwater denitrification sites can result in more effective nutrient loss regulations, more strategic nitrogen loss mitigation measures and improved land management.

For more information, see ourlandandwater.nz. Our Land and Water is one of 11 National Science Challenges that focus on defined issues of national importance identified by the New Zealand public.

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WATER NEW ZEALAND COMMENT WATER NEW ZEALAND OXFAM

Process, Lab and Portable equipment

PHOTO COURTESY OF: BELINDA BRADLEY

Empowering young girls in Papua New Guinea In the rural highlands of Papua New Guinea, girls like Hinome* don’t always have the same opportunities. Story supplied by Oxfam.

Very often, they are unable to continue attending school to get the education they deserve because they lack access to menstruation and sanitation products and must contend with the cultural stigmas surrounding periods in their communities.

This means Hinome, and generations of girls just like her, remain trapped in these unjust situations without the education they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

To date, Oxfam and its generous donors has raised over $60,000 towards empowering children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to complete their education.

Thanks to the support of ordinary Kiwis, Oxfam has begun to ensure reusable menstrual pads, safe gender-separated toilets and hygiene training occurs within these communities.

The global pandemic has been a challenge but not an insurmountable one.

It has highlighted how important this work is. In February, there was another outbreak of the virus in PNG, reinforcing just how important it is to provide access to safe water and hygiene products to people in these vulnerable communities.

In PNG, 25 percent of children do not attend school and the remaining students face multiple obstacles attempting to attend school and complete their education.

Hinome’s mother, Hageo*, often doesn’t have enough money to purchase pads for her daughter. Hinome says; “When I use pads, I attend class. When I don’t have any pads and I use old clothes, I do not go to school.”

Access to period products and other basic essentials such as safe water and private toilets are scarce for this family. This means that Hinome often has no way to hygienically and privately manage her period in public or at school. A lack of something as small as a sanitary pad can create a chain reaction of life-altering events.

Without these supplies, Hinome won’t attend school on the days she has her period. Ultimately, she will slip further behind in her studies and be at risk of not finishing her education. This hinders her ability to escape poverty and create a better future for herself.

Working with a local partner, Touching the Untouchables (TTU), Oxfam is

72 www.waternz.org.nz

providing reusable sanitary pads to ensure Hinome and other girls can privately and hygienically manage their periods without the shame or stigma they experience in public.

These pads are locally sewn and sourced which helps to save costs, reduce waste and invest in the local economy – impacting even more lives.

“When I stay home because I do not have pads, I miss out on a lot of assignments and tests. When I return to school, I used to tell my class teacher to give me assignments and she does but she refuses to give me tests,” Hinome said.

Each day Hinome misses, and each test or assignment she cannot make up, causes her to fall further behind in her studies. Without intervention, she is likely to fall so far behind that it will be almost impossible to catch up.

“I feel down, I feel that I am not going to make it. Some of my classmates will be scoring good marks than me. I get very emotional and sometimes I cry when I miss out on tests and assignments,” she says.

Hageo, Hinome’s mother, must watch her daughter struggle against the same social issues and stigmas she experienced as a young woman. Having hoped for a better future for her children, instead, she sees them experience exactly the same injustices she faced in her childhood.

“I want her to be the best but when she misses out on school, she makes me sad and most times I feel down,” she says.

Forty percent of the population in PNG live below the poverty line on less than $1.40 a day. Only 13 percent of the rural population have safe and private toilets.

Poverty and a lack of private toilets in schools are a dangerous combination which impacts on Hinome’s ability to have a better future. It not only makes it difficult for Hinome to manage her period hygienically without fear or shame but it also exposes her to a risk of harassment, intimidation and sexual violence.

Oxfam is working to address these issues, because no girl should be held back because of her period. Hinome should not have to experience these barriers. She should be able to attend school and complete her education.

We are helping to provide safe and private toilets in schools, built with girls like Hinome in mind. They will provide a clean and hygienic place to manage

periods as well as a closing door for each toilet stall so that these girls have the privacy we all deserve.

Misinformation and cultural taboos about periods and how to wash your hands make Hinome’s situation even more challenging. In the classroom, students and teachers often have a negative attitude towards periods.

These stigmas create an environment of shame and a lack of support for young girls which means they often avoid being in school altogether.

Educating everyone about the importance and life-changing reasons for supporting women’s health and menstrual hygiene is key to changing how periods are viewed in the rural highlands in PNG. By addressing the root systemic issues, so many more lives will be positively impacted. Hinome, her sisters and other young girls in PNG will have the opportunity to have an education and future free from poverty.

Oxfam is also supporting the provision of vital hygiene and menstruation education. This will enable our partner TTU to conduct training sessions. In these sessions they will provide vital information about the use of soap and reusable pads in schools and health centres.

By changing the way rural communities, schools and students view periods, it will help to increase the number of girls who finish school.

This training will also ensure communities take ownership and promote ongoing good health and hygiene practices.

“If TTU continues to support then I will continue going to school. This will help me to work hard in school and achieve my dreams,” says Hinome.

“With these pads, girls my age will attend classes and not miss out on school.”

In June last year, our Prime Minister announced that our schools in New Zealand would be offered free period products this year. Period poverty is a universal issue. Schoolgirls in PNG also need our support to ensure they can manage their period without shame, stigma or missing out on vital opportunities.

Hinome wants to work hard in school and achieve her dreams. Access to something as simple as sanitary pads can be a solution with lifealtering consequences.

Education should be accessible by all of us. Yet it is something we can so easily can take for granted. With tools like reusable pads, private toilets and menstruation education, health and quality of life for vulnerable women and girls in rural PNG will improve.

To support Oxfam New Zealand’s project in Papua New Guinea providing girls like Hinome and their communities with long-term solutions to period poverty, so they can continue their education without fear or embarrassment or shame, visit www.oxfam.org.nz/back-to-school *Names changed to protect privacy.

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���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������63 Trility �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������71 Water Supply Products �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� IBC Waterco (NZ) Ltd ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19 Xylem ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������41

CLASSIFIEDS

Analix ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������73 Australasia Moulding Ltd ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������73 Backflow Prevention �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������73 CIWEM �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������73 Conhur �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������73 Detection Solutions ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74 Huerner Welding Technology Ltd ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74 Jonassen Industrial Projects Ltd ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74 Pacific Technologies (NZ) Limited ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74 The Mighty Gripper Company Ltd ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74