Council opens doors to facilities and landfill as part of its proposed Long Term Plan engagement

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council is opening the doors to its landfill and three waters facilities including wastewater treatment plants and reservoirs through a number of public tours as this month. 

The tours are all part of the council’s proposed Long Term Plan 2021-2031 (LTP) community consultation which aims to shed light on the state of the district's infrastructure and encourage residents to have their say on proposed plans.

Residents can book for either a visit to the Farm Road Landfill; a three waters bus tour which visits wastewater treatment plants and reservoirs; or book spaces on both. The bus tours take place on Saturday 13, 20 and 27 March and bookings are essential as spaces on the buses are limited.

Community engagement evenings are also being held in Kairakau, Ongaonga, Otane, Porangahau Takapau, Tikokino and Waipawa. The events give people the chance to meet with their local councillors, find out more about the challenges faced by the district, proposed solutions, and how to make a submission.

Mayor Alex Walker says, “These events and tours are a great way for our community to really get to the crux of what we’re facing here as a district. We want to open the doors to our facilities and services so people can see, touch and understand what we’re dealing with when it comes to our infrastructure and services. 

“This Long Term Plan is about us facing the facts, so we can get on with addressing the challenges we face and continue building a thriving future for Central Hawke’s Bay and our generations to come.

“Our reality is this: nearly a quarter of our drinking pipes and almost 40% of our wastewater pipes are due for replacement; and all six of our wastewater treatment plants need upgrades. We have pipes that are over 100 years old, infrastructure that is literally crumbling away and buildings that we thought were earthquake tolerant, which are not.  We now require major investment in nearly every aspect of our infrastructure and services. These are the facts and it’s time to face them.”

“We have some ideas about how we should face the challenges ahead, but we need to hear if our community agrees or if they have other ideas. I urge our community to attend one our tours or community engagement events, read our proposals, understand the issues we face and make an informed submission.”

This LTP sets out a very challenging and hard road for the district, as the council grapples with catching up on decades of underinvestment in essential infrastructure and assets.

Increases to rates, increases to the council’s overall debt limits and increases to development contributions are all being proposed in a bid to face the district’s challenges head on, and remedy a dire state of aged and failing infrastructure. 

The Plan also proposes to extend kerbside recycling to rural townships and gives residents the option of introducing a wheelie bin service for refuse and / or recycling.

Residents have until 31 March 2021 to submit their views on the council’s proposed Long Term Plan (LTP) consultation document, which outlines some of the district’s most confronting challenges of our time. 

A full list of community events, tours, information on the proposed Long Term Plan and submission form is available at www.chbdc.govt.nz/facingthefacts or from one of the council’s service centres.  When making a submission, residents can choose to present at a council hearing.

Site tours for the council facilities take place on Saturday 13 March, Saturday 20 March and Saturday 27 March. Bookings are essential and can be done through the council’s landfill visits booking web portal or 3 Waters Site visits booking web portal or by phoning 06 857 8060.

Community feedback will be used to develop the Long Term Plan 2021-2031, which will come into operation from July 2021.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Community events and site tour dates:
• Tikokino Town Hall Tues 9 Mar 5.30-7.30pm
• Waipawa Municipal Theatre Wed 10 Mar 5.30-7.30pm
• Ongaonga Town Hall Wed 17 Mar 5.30-7.30pm
• Porangahau Town Hall Thurs 18 Mar 5.30-7.30pm
• Takapau Town Hall Wed 24 Mar 5.30-7.30pm
• Kairakau Beach Campground Hall Sun 21 Mar 9am-11am
• Landfill and three waters tours Saturday 13, 20 & 27 March bookings essential visit our website or call 06 857 8060 
• The LTP sets out the council’s activities, costs, and required revenue and rates, for the next ten years. It’s reviewed every three years, with the last review taking place in 2018.

• The Council consulted with communities in August 2020 as part of the ‘LTP pre-engagement’ phase. This was an opportunity to ‘check-in’ with the community and ensure that what the council deemed as being a priority, still aligned with the views of the community. Community feedback has been incorporated into the draft LTP consultation document.

• Community consultation on the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 is scheduled to take place from 1 to 31 March 2021. 

The council is also conducting a review of its water bylaws in the month of March. For more information visit the 3 waters bylaws page

11 March 2021

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