It came days after the regional council issued an abatement notice to the city council over the plant\u2019s \u201cobjectionable and offensive odour\u201d, which has worsened over recent months and prompted thousands of complaints.<\/p>\n
The mayor\u2019s announcement raised Jones\u2019 ire, who called the proposal \u201cridiculous\u201d and warned the council he would not \u201csit back quietly and watch the good name of our fishing and aquaculture industry be soiled\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely ridiculous, we\u2019re going to destroy our reputation as a clean export nation. This problem goes back many years and it\u2019s grossly unfair that God-fearing businesses trying to make a living and generate export earnings should be deluged in t\u016btae [excrement].\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted sewage overflow into the Mahurangi River had destroyed oyster farmers\u2019 livelihood and cost Auckland\u2019s Watercare $2 million in compensation.<\/p>\n
Fisheries Minister Shane Jones warns the plan for Christchurch could harm the fishing and aquaculture industry. Photo \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
\u201cMahurangi has led to fairly significant compensation claims, and really, after the New Zealand taxpayer has spent a tremendous amount of money over the years helping Christchurch get back on its feet, we do not expect to see the civic leadership of Christchurch destroying local businesses underwritten by people mortgaging their houses and having a dream to create more wealth for the future, only to see it disappear under a Christchurch council wall of poo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council should expect a high level of scrutiny from central government over the idea, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is grossly unfair and, in my view, someone\u2019s going to have to write a huge cheque out if these fisheries businesses are destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had spoken with Aquaculture New Zealand as well as Ministry for Primary Industries officials, and was seeking more information from the council.<\/p>\n
Jones acknowledged it was a tricky situation, but urged more caution before proposals were aired.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, in such a random indiscriminate way, are ideas being put out there into the ether? Quite frankly they\u2019re floating on a sort of political scum that\u2019s going to ruin a God-fearing bunch of businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents around the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant’s oxidation ponds have been complaining of the stench coming from the plant. Photo \/ Christchurch City Council<\/p>\n
There was a nationwide infrastructure deficit, as evidenced by Auckland\u2019s sewage overflows and Wellington being \u201csurrounded by fetid stinking sewage\u201d, Jones said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get our priorities right in this country \u2013 the council needs to put its engineers and its thinking caps on and stop serving up this menu of effluent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green Party local government spokesman Mike Davidson said it was important to acknowledge what residents in the city\u2019s east had gone through since the 2021 fire, but no one wanted to see a new problem created.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo wrongs don\u2019t make a right.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council needed to work with mana whenua and the regional council to get a proper solution, Davidson said.<\/p>\n
He said it underscored concerns about new wastewater standards that would result in environmental thresholds being lowered in some areas.<\/p>\n
Regional council chairman Deon Swiggs said the two councils had met to formally discuss the proposal on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The city council should have brought a detailed proposal to the regional council before going public, but \u201cit is what it is\u201d.<\/p>\n
The regional council would assess the proposal\u2019s environmental impact once it had more information, but there was a \u201cconsiderable amount of work\u201d to get to that point.<\/p>\n
The country was facing an infrastructure crisis, Swiggs said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re starting to see this time and time again. In Auckland whenever it rains, in Wellington at the moment, and you\u2019ve got what we\u2019re having here in Christchurch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city council had until March 16 to comply with the abatement notice, including providing details on how it would mitigate the stench.<\/p>\n
Taumata Arowai spokeswoman Sara McFall said the authority had written to the city council regarding \u201crecent and ongoing concerns with the Bromley treatment plant\u201d, making an official request for information under the Water Services Act.<\/p>\n
She said the authority wanted to understand the plant\u2019s compliance and what the city council was doing to manage the situation, but this did not include the latest proposal.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Food Safety<\/a> deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said the agency was also seeking more information from the city council and had been in touch with potentially affected businesses.<\/p>\n Aquaculture NZ chief executive Tee Hale Pennington said the organisation recognised the urgency for finding a solution, but actions taken on land must not create new problems in the ocean.<\/p>\n