We’re building a new wastewater system for Akaroa. The new treatment plant will be next to the water supply reservoir on Old Coach Road. It will use modern techniques to treat Akaroa’s wastewater.

We're set to explore the impact of wastewater standards being finalised this year on alternative methods for the disposal of treated wastewater as part of Akaroa’s future wastewater scheme. 

The Resource Consent Hearing regarding the Council’s Resource Consent application to establish and operate a wastewater treatment scheme, including associated discharges to land remains on hold. 

Read more on Newsline(external link). 

The new wastewater treatment plant will replace the existing plant at Takapūneke Reserve and the outfall discharging treated water to Akaroa Harbour.

All wastewater leaving the new plant will be treated to ensure it is safe to reuse, initially to irrigate parks in Akaroa and irrigate new areas of native trees and plants at Hammond Point and Robinsons Bay.

In future, it may be used for other non-potable activities in Akaroa, such as garden watering or toilet flushing. At present no central government regulations exist to allow us to make treated wastewater available for domestic non-potable use.

The Council has applied for resource consents to establish and operate a treated wastewater irrigation scheme as part of the Akaroa Wastewater network. You can read the Council’s opening submissions (‘Applicants Briefs of Evidence’ under Hearings) and expert evidence for all parties, including the Council, on Environment Canterbury’s website(external link). 

The consents hearing process was adjourned over the 2024 Christmas period and recommenced on Tuesday 28 January 2025. Hearing dates were held on 28 and 29 January and 11, 12 February. The hearing is now currently on hold. 

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Consents are already approved for the new wastewater treatment plant on Old Coach Road, the new pump station at the Childrens Bay boat park and to upgrade the wastewater network of pipes and connections.

Additional consents are needed for the irrigation scheme. Our applications for these have been lodged with Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the Christchurch City Council Planning Team and are publicly notified until 5pm on 9 August 2024.

The new applications seek consent to irrigate treated recycled wastewater to native trees at Hammond Point and Robinsons Bay, and to the Recreation Ground at the northern end of Akaroa. We’re also seeking consent to construct a wetland basin and a storage tank at the paddock at the top of Old Coach Road, and a larger set of storage tanks at the Robinsons Bay site.

Earlier in the project we anticipated also needing land for irrigation at Takamātua but, at the time of applying, that site was not required and is not included in our consent applications.

The applications are for consent to:

  •    Discharge treated wastewater to land (to irrigate trees)
  •    Store treated wastewater in tanks and in a wetland
  •    Store untreated wastewater in a storm buffer tank at the Old Coach Road site
  •    Construct a new wetland and storage tanks
  •    Discharge treated water to the cricket ground and north Akaroa parks for irrigation

The application package includes all the required forms and various reports and assessments to support the application.  

The consent applications to ECan focus on discharging treated wastewater to land, while the applications to Christchurch City Council relate to land use, including storage of treated wastewater, and earthworks. 

The project team will work with both organisations, to answer questions and clarify information as needed or to provide additional information if asked. 

ECan and the Christchurch City Council’s consent team have publicly notified the consent applications.  As the applicant, Christchurch City Council’s Three Waters Team has no influence on either organisation’s processes. 

See our application(external link)s or learn about the ECan resource consenting process(external link).

Council to investigate the impact of law changes on wastewater alternatives 

We're set to explore the impact of wastewater standards being finalised this year on alternative methods for the disposal of treated wastewater as part of Akaroa’s future wastewater scheme.

The Hearing for the Council’s resource consent application to establish and operate an irrigation to land wastewater treatment scheme was put on hold last month at the Council’s request after Commissioners asked the Council(external link), Environment Canterbury and Ōnuku Runanga a large number of questions about the scheme. The scheme proposes using treated wastewater to irrigate Council-owned land at Robinsons Bay and Hammond Point.

The Council requested the Hearing was paused to allow time to address these questions and to re-investigate alternative treated wastewater disposal methods raised by submitters.

The Commissioners informed the Council that the Hearing could not resume until May due to the availability of the Hearing Panel. They also said that they are likely to adjourn the hearing until the Council lodges its discharge resource consent application for releases of treated wastewater into Akaroa Harbour, to be assessed alongside its irrigation to land consent application. The Council currently intends to discharge into the harbour when irrigation and storage facility capacity are exceeded.

The Council responded to Commissioners(external link) advising that it doesn’t oppose pausing the Hearing until the discharge consent application for treated wastewater release to harbour is lodged.

The Council also indicated that it intends to again review the alternatives to the current application that have been proposed by submitters. The Council prefers to do that review in the context of new wastewater standards and changes to the Resource Management Act that the government intends to enact this year. 

It is important for staff to understand the impact the upcoming law changes will have when considering the proposed and alternative methods to dispose of treated wastewater. Read more on Newsline(external link).

Robinsons Bay and Hammond Point planting - March 2025

We are preparing the land for additional native plantings in the area the Council is applying for Resource Consent to irrigate. The planting will help increase biodiversity in the area and will consist of around 130,000 Kanuka and 33,000 other native species. We have grown these plants from seedlings, and they have matured to the stage where planting is essential for their continued growth.

Resource consent is not required for the tree planting and the cooler months are the best time of the year to get plants in the ground.

Our contractors will start work this month at Robinsons Bay, followed by Hammond Point in June.

Robinsons Bay planting

A key part of the new wastewater system is our plan to use recycled water to irrigate new plantings of native trees. 

In September we finished planting the lower parts of the Robinsons Bay irrigation block in kānuka.

To do this we needed to carry out much-needed maintenance to an existing farm track to allow vehicle access to the site. We also upgraded the fencing around the site. None of this work required consent as it falls under a category of work called ‘permitted activity’.

Over just a few weeks, we got around 56,000 plants in the ground. The seedlings were grown from seeds collected locally.  

Kānuka grows well on Banks Peninsula and was chosen because it is a hardy colonising species that provides shelter for other species to germinate and grow.

In the winter of 2025, we aim to plant about 150,000 more kānuka and another 50,000 locally sourced seedlings of other native species.

We’ve also been working on pest control in the planting areas at Robinsons Bay and Hammond Point – to date, over both sites, we’ve caught 30 possums. We’re also targeting a range of weed species to optimise growing conditions for the native trees.

New plants cover the hills on a large council-owned property at Robinsons Bay.

Part of the boat park is closed

A corner of the Childrens Bay boat park in Akaroa has closed from June 2024 for the first stage of work for the new pump station.

This stage involves geotechnical investigations needed for the design stage. We already have consent to build the new pump station, which is essential to a new wastewater scheme. 

Pump station construction is expected to be underway by the end of 2025. Read more on Newsline(external link).   

Geotechnical work

We've contracted Stantec to complete ground investigations needed for the detailed design of the new wastewater scheme.

This work will continue through to late December 2024 and involves digging test pits and bore holes at the pump station site and along the proposed pipe route.

These investigations are critical in ensuring the design engineers fully understand the land the project will be built on. 

None of this work needs resource consent as it is a permitted activity.

The following is the wording of the Council resolution supporting the Inner Bays Irrigation Scheme option, passed on 10 December 2020.

The Council:

  1. Acknowledges that many submitters advocated for a sustainable development approach to water in Akaroa and that the Council recognises the value of water as a precious resource and taonga.
  2. Acknowledges that the water supply in the Akaroa area and wider Banks Peninsula will be increasingly under threat as climate change increases and that working towards non-potable reuse is supported by the Hearings Panel and most submitters.
  3. Acknowledges the concerns of the community about the poor state of the wastewater network and recommends that the Council aims for less than 20% inflow and infiltration through its work on the Council network and that it also requires private property owners to repair their pipes.
  4. Increases the promotion of water conservation measures in Akaroa to reduce the volume of wastewater, including the use of Smart Meters funded as part of the Three Waters Reform funding and notes the support by the Hearings Panel and some submitters for excess water charges to assist with this.
  5. Regularly communicates progress on the repairs and of conservation measures to the community, Community Board and the Council and that the name of the project change to the Akaroa Reclaimed Water Treatment and Reuse Scheme.
  6. Requests Council Officers to work with the Community Board to establish a Community Reference Group including members from the local Rūnanga to ensure that community concerns about the approved Akaroa Reclaimed Water Treatment and Reuse Scheme are listened to and, where possible, addressed.

In response to question one of the Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options consultation document, 'should we discharge highly treated wastewater from our new treatment plant to land or should we continue to discharge into Akaroa Harbour?'

That the Council:

  1. Rejects that Akaroa’s highly treated wastewater is discharged from the new treatment plant to the Akaroa Harbour.
  2. Approves that Akaroa’s highly treated wastewater is discharged from the new treatment plant to the land.

In response to question two of the Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options consultation document, 'if it decides to develop a scheme where highly treated wastewater is used on land for irrigation, where would you prefer the Council to irrigate? Inner Bays (Robinsons Bay, Hammond Point, Takamātua), Goughs Bay or Pompeys Pillar?'

That the Council:

  1. Approves that Akaroa’s highly treated wastewater is used on land for irrigation at Inner Bays (Robinsons Bay, Hammond Point, Takamātua)
  2. Requests Council Officers to investigate and incorporate where practical the following into detailed design of the scheme:
  3. Additional wetland site options as part of the detailed design, with the goal of reducing the size of the storage ponds.
  4. Maximize the planted areas of native bush to both reduce the size of the ponds and increase biodiversity outcomes.
  5. Investigate additional areas for irrigation of public space within the Akaroa catchment with the goal of increasing non-potable use.
  6. Future-proofing for potential non-potable reuse.
  7. The re-use of the current UV treatment unit in the new treatment plant to enable non-potable reuse.
  8. Native tree plantings in Robinsons Bay to avoid key archaeological sites as recommended in the Heritage New Zealand submission and installation of interpretation signage for visitors to the site.
  9. Softening the contours of the plantings by following the natural contours of the land, running down gullies where possible and raised boardwalks where appropriate for recreation in new wetland areas.
  10. Notes that water conservation and Inflow and Infiltration reduction measures aim to reduce the size of the pond.
  11. Requests that Council Officers investigate the use of storage tanks instead of storage ponds and if practical discuss the option with the Community Reference Group.
  12. Requests Council Officers to investigate and report back to the Council on the option of a scheme for local employment for the planting and maintenance of the native trees. In response to question three of the Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options consultation document, 'would you support us irrigating public parks in Akaroa with highly treated wastewater?'

That the Council:

  1. Approves irrigating public parks and flushing public toilets in Akaroa with highly treated wastewater as part of the scheme.

In response to question four of the Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options consultation document, 'would you like use to explore the feasibility of a purple pipe scheme for Akaroa, so that residential property owners could use the water for garden watering and other non-drinking purposes?'

That the Council:

  1. Supports and requests Council Officers to explore the feasibility of a non-potable reuse (purple pipe) scheme for Akaroa, so that property owners could use the water for garden watering and other non-drinking purposes.
  2. Requests Council Officers work with the Ministry of Health, the Canterbury District Health Board, Ngāi Tahu and water suppliers that are interested in non-potable reuse to develop non-potable re-use guidelines or standards for New Zealand.
  3. Requests Council Officers discuss options for enabling non-potable reuse of treated wastewater with the Council as soon as practicable, should the regulatory framework change.

That the Council:

  1. Includes consideration of additional budget in the draft Long Term Plan 2021-2031 to implement the approved Akaroa Reclaimed Water Treatment and Reuse Scheme.

Moved: Councillor Templeton
Seconded: Councillor Coker
Carried
(Councillors Chu, Gough and MacDonald requested that their votes against the resolutions be recorded).

We've been working on the Akaroa and Duvauchelle wastewater network to reduce the amount of stormwater entering the system. This work increases the wastewater network’s capacity and helps reduce the risk of overflows into private properties, streams and the harbour during wet weather. 

Through addressing leaks and other issues, in both the council network and on private properties, will we be able to significantly reduce the volume of unwanted water entering the network. 

Improving this problem was a high priority for many submitters during our consultation in 2020. 

Investigated 12.3km and replaced or repaired 1.6km (9%) of Akaroa’s wastewater network pipes. Repaired 23 manholes. 
Completed $6 million of improvements and repairs to the wastewater network.
Inspected 1367 private property stormwater and wastewater systems, of which 30 per cent required improvements. When issues are discovered our team lets the property owner know what needs to be fixed. 
Installed a flowmeter at the water plant in Akaroa. This real-time information reduced the daily wastewater flows from approximately 80 - 100m³/day to 30 – 40 m³/day. 

Our work on this project began in 2014. This section gives some background to the project.

2021 Community reference group

The Community Reference Group established for this project has completed its work. Members did a great job, raising issues of concern to the community and suggesting how these could be mitigated or overcome.

The group was made up of five community representatives, two rūnanga representatives and two community board members, with support from two members of the project team and an independent facilitator.

They gave us a wide range of advice and suggestions on the scheme, and ideas for how we could improve certain aspects. They were particularly enthusiastic about the move to use storage tanks instead of storage ponds. These tanks could be covered and sited further up Robinsons Bay valley away from the immediate neighbours.

The group said tanks would be more acceptable to the community as they mitigate risks associated with storage ponds, such as dam break, odour, insects and visual effects. It would also prevent rainwater from adding to the amount of treated wastewater to be irrigated.

The Community Reference Group has documented the work it did, the advice given to us and the reasons behind that advice [PDF, 226 KB]. 

2020 Consultation

We undertook five weeks of community consultation outlining four viable options in August 2020, before the hearings panel recommended and the Council accepted the Inner Bays Irrigation Scheme (Option 1).

2015 Resource Consent

We were granted consent to build a new wastewater treatment plant on Old Coach Road, a new pump station at the Childrens Bay boat park and to upgrade the wastewater network of pipes and connections.

However, our applications for consent to construct a new pipe outfall to Akaroa Harbour, and discharge treated wastewater via that pipe outfall, were declined. The hearing commissioners said a harbour discharge was offensive to Ngāi Tahu and that we had not adequately investigated alternatives.

We appealed this decision, but in 2019 we decided to drop the appeal.

Why the treatment plant is being moved

The existing Akaroa wastewater treatment plant(external link) was built in the early 1960s at Takapūneke Historic Reserve.

It is now due for replacement and needs to be moved because the reserve is a historically and culturally sensitive place.

In 1830, Takapūneke was the site of a massacre. Te Rauparahau, with help from the captain of the British ship the brig Elizabeth, captured the rangitira (chief) of the māori pa, Te Miharanui, and killed about 200 of his people on the site.

It is now widely acknowledged that building a wastewater treatment plant at this site was extremely insensitive. The Council now recognises the area as a historic reserve and worked with Ōnuku Rūnanga in 2018 to develop the Takapūneke Reserve Management Plan(external link).

The new site

A site at the top of Old Coach Road was chosen for the new wastewater treatment plant in 2012.

This was one of two sites recommended by the Akaroa Community Wastewater Working Party and Akaroa/Wairewa Community Board. It was chosen for its proximity to Akaroa and to areas that in future could use treated wastewater for irrigation.

This site was supported by Ōnuku Rūnanga and is now owned by the Council.