Whakatane District Council is working to replace multiple water and wastewater resource consents across the district that are due to expire, most by August 2028. The council manages six wastewater treatment plants, ten public water supply systems, and stormwater networks across urban areas in the Whakatāne District. These consents, many of which were originally granted for 35 years, allow the council to take water from rivers and discharge treated wastewater back into waterways.
The council has adopted a Three Waters Consent Replacement Programme Strategy to guide the work, which will require detailed technical assessments and significant infrastructure upgrades to meet current environmental and regulatory standards. Major projects include wastewater schemes for Murupara, Tāneatua, Whakatāne, and Edgecumbe, each facing distinct challenges. For example, Edgecumbe’s network was poorly designed and damaged in the 1987 earthquake, with too much rainwater entering the system during wet weather. The programme aims to balance environmental protection, affordability, and long-term planning for growth in accordance with local plans and the Local Water Done Well implementation framework.
A key feature of the programme is collaboration with iwi, hapū and whānau throughout the consent replacement process. The council has committed to working in partnership with Māori communities, including co-design groups for projects like Murupara with Ngāti Manawa and Tāneatua with local tangata whenua. This approach recognises the relationship of Māori with ancestral lands and waterways under the Resource Management Act, while the final decisions on preferred options remain with the council.
The consent replacement work is expected to deliver improved environmental and cultural outcomes, better public health, protection of waterways, and continued delivery of core water services. Community engagement will occur as each project progresses, giving residents opportunities to contribute to solutions that affect their towns and the environment. The programme represents a major investment in infrastructure to meet modern standards while keeping costs manageable for ratepayers.
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Source: Whakatane District Council – News. This summary was published by Input Ltd via amalgamation.nz, New Zealand’s central resource for local government amalgamation news and council merger updates.
