Council asks Minister to ‘call in’ waste to energy proposal

Waipā District Council has joined Waikato Regional Council (WRC) in asking the Environment Minister to ‘call-in’ a proposal to build a waste to energy plant in Te Awamutu.

The proposal from Global Contracting Solutions would see 150,000 tonnes of rubbish being incinerated at a purpose-built plant in Racecourse Road, Te Awamutu. The rubbish, much of it trucked in from outside the district, would be used to generate electric power.

More than 800 submissions were received by each Council on the proposal, the vast majority against.

In December 2023, WRC asked Environment Minister Penny Simmonds to call in the proposal so that greenhouse gas emissions could be considered. A call in means that instead of the proposal being heard by a Hearing Panel of independent commissioners, it is called in by the Minister to be heard by a Board of Enquiry or the Environment Court.

Today, Waipā’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee agreed Waipā District Council should also request the Minister to call the proposal in.

Group manager district growth and regulatory services Wayne Allan said given the huge community interest in the proposal, it was important the decision-making process was clear, consistent and as easy as possible for the community to navigate.

“We don’t want to have one hearing process running while WRC advocates for something else. Having just one process that both entities support will be far less confusing. That’s really important given nearly 600 submitters have advised us they want to have their say and speak to their submission when the time comes.”

In his letter to the Minister on behalf of Council, Allan specifically advocated for a Board of Inquiry, to be held in Te Awamutu. Elected members strongly supported this.

“If the Minister agrees to accept the requests from both councils and make a direction to call in this application, Waipā would like to strongly advocate for the Board of Inquiry process. A Board of Inquiry process is less confronting than the Environment Court for our lay-community submitters and is less likely to require lawyers (and their additional cost) for our submitters. Most importantly, it could be held locally (Te Awamutu being our preference, given 575 submitters advise they wish to be heard). This is a position strongly supported by Waipā’s elected members.”

If the call in is declined, the process will revert back to a joint Hearing Panel of independent commissioners appointed to hear the resource consent application.

For more information including a series of questions and answers, go to this link.