Dome Valley landfill gets approval after a split decision by planning commissioners
A massive and controversial landfill to take half of Auckland’s household and commercial waste has got approval after a split decision by independent commissioners.
The panel of independent commissioners today released its decision to grant resource consent for the landfill in Auckland’s Dome Valley.
The resource consent gives permission for Waste Management New Zealand to construct and operate a 60ha landfill on its 1000ha Wayby site.
Waste Management has said most of the land will act as a buffer from surrounding farms and forestry blocks.
The Dome Valley tip was always one of those things you didn’t bother getting involved in because you are under the illusion that a check and balance further up the system will stop such a fucking stupid idea from occurring.
You just assumed that a place so close to water systems that could actually be a dam wouldn’t be wasted on a fucking rubbish dump!
You just assumed that a place that can flood wouldn’t be a fucking rubbish dump.
You just assumed that decisions were being made in the best strategic interests of Auckland, not what was easiest for a Chinese mega company.
You just assumed that a Chinese mega company couldn’t influence like this.
You just assumed that Aucklanders would refuse to allow hazardous waste from New Caledonia to be buried in a flood zone so close to water ways!
The permits allow Waste Management to import numerous chemical and other forms of dangerous waste, including used lead-acid batteries, crushed fluorescent tubes, vapour sodium lamps, oils and oil sludges, alloys of mercury, solvents, and waste pesticides and herbicides, which are off-specification, outdated or unfit for their original intended use.
I’m going to assume that includes medical waste? Radioactive waste from X-Rays?
You just assumed that common sense would direct all of this, instead we get a toothless local council and a Chinese mega company who is planning for their interests not those who actually live there.
I don’t think the vast number of Aucklanders have any idea this is even happening, this could poison the Kaipara Harbour!
This decision is appalling and requires far more mainstream media attention than it is getting!
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Fuck cunt
Welcome to New Xi-Land #deportgarylin
Once upon a time we had a Greens Party, who would watch out for such madness and call it out.
Long gone, and in a hurry.
We’ve become a nation of jellyfish – spineless, gutless and witless.
They wouldn’t just be calling out the madness. They’d be actively opposing it with demos and sitins to block the trucks. They’d be boycotting the companies who do this and getting them out of New Zealand. They’d be the truly Green movement of activists they used to be. Sad.
Yeah Thanks for nuthing Eugenie Sage
And who from the Govt has rubber stamped this? Or is it a solely Akl Council matter?
Approval and actual actions are not mutually exclusive, just look at Houmatou, Fletchers bought the land (from Maori land owners) for housing and Govt stepped in, so there is precedent for Govt to step in.
Just another symptom of the artificial lives of city folk. People could drive to the Uber-dump in their new EVs payed for by country folk!
Concrete and steel, overflowing sewers, air pollution, beaches closed and the worst water pollution in the country, ah Auckland.
I have a suggestion:
Let’s impose a tax on all city people who have no tall trees on their properties to help offset air pollution, and pay that money as a subsidy to plant trees that grow to over 20m.
This will incentivize people to de-centralize from the cities as well as reducing emissions.
Reduce your footprint by growing, rearing and hunting/ catching your own food, it creates a lot less waste and transport emissions.
The Auckland Council officials just pay Maori lipservice when they ‘Consult’ with Maori. It’s fuck’n bullshit. “Consultation” as per the RMA is literally just that. Nothing that you say ‘will’ change their decision.
Yep, fake consultation or ‘buy’ a ‘representative’ and pretend it means representation.
We have an economy that is dependent on consumerism – things are no longer made to last, or be repaired, so quickly end up in landfill; then to reduce costs of disposal only a low level of compaction is used thereby increasing the volume of the waste mountain.
Mankind’s economic model is destroying our planet. If this destruction is to be stopped manufactuers must be made responsible for recycling their products, for which consumers will enviably have to pay – thus making us think about our consumerism.
Is this serious or is it a wind up ?
Govt has squeezed every last cent out of citizens and now is focused on helping new immigrants and fuck the rest of us…..
Agree 100%. Devastating and appalling decision.
100% polluted NZ.
More and more waste is polluting a town near you, with the government and councils allowing it like Rio Tinto and more resource consents granted for more of the same.
It’s easy to say no, and change the RMA to be safe, but after years of power the Greens and labour can’t be bothered stopping this.
Ummm …where ARE the Greens on this??? Or is it just too much real world for them to you know actually BE an environment political party just this once? Perhaps the Minister for neverending Cluster Fucks, James Shaw might you know drive there in an electric vehicle all the way from word salad central Wellington and you know have a Geography lesson and pop over to the Kaipara in his slow as electric car( bunch of mountains on the way folks should be a giggle) after finding a charging station or 40 or 50 on the way and here’s a novelty, talk to and LISTEN to the residents on the way. He might even LEARN that this is a MAJOR fucking disaster. Not holding my breath!
The Greens are to busy trying to blame white men for all the problems in NZ or whispering in the government’s ear on ways to piss farmers off like fining them for buying a ute instead of an EV and not caring that there are no EV utes.
The Greens are busy stopping coal mines but turning a blind eye to us importing coal to make the power to charge the EV.
The Greens are busy taking cars out of CBD and leaving them as shells and heartbroken shop owners.
The Greens are busy trying to make Marajuana legal but not helping to promote Medical Marajuana to be available at a reasonable cost.
Greens and Labour seem to support some farmers though….
Dairy firm wants ocean wastewater outfall
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/dairy/dairy-firm-wants-ocean-wastewater-outfall
Ocean Dairy (Chinese owned) got their consent in NZ so intensive farming, discharging your waste into public spaces like the sea and huge multinational NZ farm ownership seems ok with the modern Greens.
Not sure how the previous Green members and founders feel about this about face but maybe that is why they all left the party!
Some good links…
Mataura aluminium dross: Finance Minister defends agreeing to $10m indemnity
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/444690/mataura-aluminium-dross-finance-minister-defends-agreeing-to-10m-indemnity
The Paper Mill: Mataura’s toxic waste nightmare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_LjMsr8gU
Auckland councillors approve $29m bailout for multinational recycling company
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-councillors-approve-29m-bailout-for-multinational-recycling-company/SIVORNBDHSZWQZQA6E6HFS7A3A/
Chinese businessman Yikun Zhang’s donations go beyond Simon Bridges
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/107902444/auckland-and-southland-mayors-receive-handouts-from-chinese-businessman-yikun-zhang
Southland mayor in China with ‘$100k donor’
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/southland-mayor-china-100k-donor
Council manager guilty of majority of corruption charges
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11763594
100% pollution and stupidity.
State of the Gulf: Auckland Council report finds estuaries choking in sediment, shellfish dying
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12342221
NZ Government Secretly Funded Water Bottling Companies
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1904/S00055/nz-government-secretly-funded-water-bottling-companies.htm
A dam illegally constructed in an Auckland Council reserve is set to be lowered before Christmas, but not removed
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/12/19/953508/dam-delays-half-soon-half-later-maybe
Harbour of doubt: The tiny creek that drains Auckland of its waste
“St Lukes mall, one of the single biggest contributors of sewage into Meola, and likely among the biggest overflow points in the country.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/117958444/harbour-of-doubt-the-tiny-creek-that-drains-auckland-of-its-waste
No plan to tackle environmental degradation by increased tourism – Commissioner
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/405767/no-plan-to-tackle-environmental-degradation-by-increased-tourism-commissioner
Protesters are vowing direct action in southern waters after oil giant OMV was yesterday cleared to drill up to 10 exploration wells off the Otago coast beginning this summer.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/mayor-slams-drilling-approval-farce?fbclid=IwAR0pg_haSht_L8zIPWhj2D-ph2d6CJb5yMAqp6BMozpjpjlofFpZuYFfylc
Waihi runs out of water, council distributing water bottles
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/02/waihi-runs-out-of-water-council-distributing-water-bottles.html
Appeals against Chinese water bottling plant dismissed
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/118255435/appeals-against-chinese-water-bottling-plant-dismissed
EPA grants drilling and discharge consent for Otago coast to oil and gas company OMV
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/118277477/epa-grants-drilling-and-discharge-consent-for-otago-coast-to-oil-and-gas-company-omv
“Directors of Tamarind Taranaki, the New Zealand business of a Malaysian oil and gas producer say the company “may be insolvent”.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12284777
Dairy firm wants ocean wastewater outfall
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/dairy/dairy-firm-wants-ocean-wastewater-outfall
Environment watchdog has never brought a prosecution
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/03/10/1074422/no-prosecutions-ever-from-environmental-protection-authority?fbclid=IwAR2Al3Zn0Tsj6MSHVOJRI6dD-CgEbOwKaw2aJgyT792nAueHBXitYW6u33I
EPA’s ‘inappropriate’ reaction to student’s speech
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117378375/epas-inappropriate-reaction-to-students-speech
Was former EPA chief scientist Jacqueline Rowarth muzzled?
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/currently-profiles/jacqueline-rowarth-was-former-epa-chief-scientist-muzzled?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LISTENER_newsletter_20-08-2018&utm_term=list_nzlistener_newsletter
Why the Meridian Energy hydro spilling scandal shows it’s time to democratise our energy
https://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/story/why-the-meridian-energy-hydro-spilling-scandal-shows-its-time-to-democratise-our-energy/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Climate&utm_term=bread&utm_content=bread&fbclid=IwAR1x3wajjSrWRd4_s_YZuJSTIkaM1T3rAsCH6XynfcL5szuxmmA_wU65Xmo
SaveNZ, your links are invaluable.
They are much appreciated.
Thanks Kheala
You realise the huge amount of apathy in our law and government and businesses and MSM when you see the scale of bad decisions happening here and the consequence (or lack of them) to polluters in NZ.
People are trying to blame communities but the communities are really fighting hard to stop climate change and bad decisions like this, but are being ignored.
How about a Chinese tax on plastic for a start, then we would not need a new land fill!
It seems we need to look at the real issue here which is; what the hell do we do with all that toxic waste generated by consumer capitalism? What does the bulk of landfill waste consist of? The answer of course is plastic packaging, generated by the corporate food producers and supermarket conglomerates. And then there is all that polystyrene and styrofoam used for packaging electrical appliances. And then on top of all that is demolished building material from the building industry as well as the massive DIY market (how else to explain the massive growth in DIY chains?). And let’s not forget all the chemical wastes, from industry and otherwise, that end up in landfills. With all our feelgood plans from city councils everywhere to recycle and reduce waste there is only a small percentage that is actually reduced. So our wonderful free market capitalist wonderland is not only based on resource depletion, it is based on toxic waste generation. And it has to go somewhere, right? We cannot keep doing this forever. The landfill exposed by flooding on the West Coast shows what is going to happen to all our toxic waste eventually. Endless consumption produces endless production of plastics, chemicals and other toxins. Endless growth on a finite planet. Quick, build another landfill.
This is one answer Paul.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-14/how-would-burning-rubbish-like-sweden-work-in-australia/10115694
This would be the best use of Tiwai Point which should be closed now .
Instead we are rushing to shut down our only oil refinery which can make bio fuels and gas for electricity.
Whangarei already burns much of it’s rubbish at Portland Cement which has a Europe standard waste burner.
Totally agree. That’s a brilliant link/ concept
It can be stopped. All that is required is the will. Then it comes down to whether you are prepared to break the law, and how much you are prepared to lose in terms of career, personal freedom, financial stability. If you have nothing left to lose, you will lose nothing
The integrity of the containment system which would include excutors and other heavy machinery, pumps, sewage pond ect would have to be maintained for atleast a hundred thousand years. You don’t fuck around with nuclear waste. We can do this.
https://m.localmatters.co.nz/news/35450-sage-defends-decision-on-dome-valley-landfill.html
“Ms Sage said material that could be recycled could end up being sent to the waste-to- energy plant as feedstock. “. The point is we only recycle a fraction of what we landfill. Her argument was that we would need to send recycleable material to the energy plant to keep it going. This proves at best she had a poor understanding of the figures. 80% of landfill is construction waste where no attempt is made to separate or recycle any material. I am reaching the point where I cant see the point of elected representatitives. Councilors are rubber stamps for CCOs, MPs are rubber stamps for anyone paying the bill.
Dumb arrogant decision, it’s just unbelievable , typical of the professional decision makers, backward looking and profit driven, shit bags.
Green New Zealand, it’s just a myth .
We are running out of water in Northland and Auckland and the Hōteo river Auckland’s second biggest fresh water catchment. The Kaipara is also commercially sensitive as NZ’s snapper nursery (over 90% of NZ snapper are born in the Kaipara). The government are hypocrites by talking about preserving significant natural areas, just not their own in Auckland when the environment and councils pass these appalling decisions.
Something is wrong here.
The Natz are back on the campaign trail on this issue, and will be back in power next time as communities in Auckland and NZ have had enough of the appalling environmental decisions of this government and Natz have got something juicy (and real) to campaign on.
one can only hope
If you think the Natz are going to save NZ you must be bloody bonkers. These are the people who think the environment is that inconvenient little ecosystem that you plunder and pollute as acceptable collateral damage to the profits of the boardroom. The list of environmental crimes committed by the Tories is almost as long as the list of environmental crimes committed by Trump over four destructive years. God help us if the Natz ever get anywhere near power again in this time of planetary meltdown.
Yes. …to all of the above
Totally concur.
Beijing Capital Group – owners of this proposal
They seem to have an aggressive market share in NZ, looks like other countries are not using BCG like France. NZ is their big overseas investment.
Overseas investment[edit]
France[edit]
The Sino-EU Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone built by BCG in 2012 in Chateauroux, France was the first large-scale comprehensive industrial park in a developed country established and operated by a Chinese enterprise.[1][2]
Despite these 2012 announcements, in 2020 the announced investments were not concretised, and the forecasted industrial park was no longer planned to be set-up in operation. [3]
New Zealand[edit]
The Beijing Capital Group acquired Trans-Pacific Industries (TPI) in New Zealand in June 2014 for NZ$950 million and set up the Beijing Capital Waste Management NZ Ltd (BCWM NZ). Regulatory approval was received from the New Zealand Government’s Overseas Investment Office (OIO) in October 2013.[4] In the New Zealand solid waste disposal sector, BCWM NZ has the largest market share, at 31 percent.[5] Till date,[when?] BCG’s investment in BCWM NZ is the single largest Chinese direct investment in New Zealand.[6] In line with its application for Overseas Investment Office approval, Beijing Capital Group announced it would invest NZ$98 million in BCWM NZ to buy new assets, develop landfill capacity and introduce new anaerobic digestion technology at the Redvale landfill in Auckland.[7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Capital_Group
That is shocking.
I’m still trying to process it.
Aotearoa, this incredibly beautiful land, entrusted to our care.
‘This decision is appalling and requires far more mainstream media attention than it is getting!’
Excuse me Martyn; the mainstream media are there to promote looting and polluting. That’s what they do.
Directors of Waste Management NZ Limited
Guoxian CAO
Residential Address: 6-1202, Building 1, Fang Xing Yuan Area 3, Fengtai District, Beijing , China
Fujing LI
Residential Address: No.101, Unit 2, Building 16, No.5 East Area Of Hui Long Guan Long Yue Yuan, Changping District, Beijing , China
Yiran LI
Residential Address: 302, Unit 1, Jingouhe East Road 9, Hai Dian District, Beijing , China
Jing LIU
Residential Address: 37-4-601, Wanliuyuan, Fengtai District, Beijing , China
Bin YANG
Residential Address: 2-207, Building 17, Yu Hai Yuan Er Li, 8 Yu Quan Street, Tian Cun, Haidan District, Beijing , China
Zhaowu ZENG
Residential Address: No,0001, Personnel Exchange Service Center Dormitory, Lanshan Office, Lanshan District
Hans Evan Geoffrey MAEHL
Residential Address: 110 Esperance Road, Glendowie, Auckland, 1071 , New Zealan,
https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/5102401
New Xiland
– China’s toxic waste dump.
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