Oceania Dairy consents granted
An independent hearing panel has granted Oceania Dairy consents to build a pipeline.
In 2019 Oceania Dairy applied for six consents relating to the construction of a 7.5 km coastal outfall and discharge of treated wastewater into the coastal marine area, from a milk-processing factory situated at 30 Cooneys Road Glenavy.
Environment Canterbury appointed three independent commissioners to determine the application. The panel publicly released its decision today to grant the applications.
The construction-related consents have a duration of 10 years and the operational consents a duration of 35 years, with a lapse date of 10 years.
Submitters and the applicant have 15 working days to appeal the decision.
View the full hearing decision.
Decision summary
After considering the evidence presented by the applicant, submitters and the reporting officers, the commissioners concluded that the effects were generally less than minor and the application was consistent with objectives and policies in the relevant planning provisions, and can therefore be mitigated through proposed conditions.
The commissioners did not consider there were any significant adverse effects on coastal marine water quality and that the cultural effects were minor.
They noted that while the application is not consistent with the preferred management of resources outlined in the Iwi Management Plans, it is consistent with the relevant objectives and policies of the statutory documents.
Conditions imposed
The conditions include the following:
- The inclusion of a lizard management plan on construction-related consents to be prepared by a suitably qualified and experienced herpetologist and in consultation with Te Rūnanga o Waihao and Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua.
- An accidental discovery protocol on construction-related consents.
- A requirement for a construction management plan, to be certified by Environment Canterbury that it meets objectives outlined in conditions.
- Trigger levels on contaminants in treated wastewater, with a ‘cease discharge’ requirement if these are exceeded.
- A suite of conditions around ongoing monitoring of the coastal environment, including benthic biota and sediment monitoring, receiving environment water quality monitoring at the edge of the mixing zone with trigger levels, and annual reporting of this monitoring.
- A requirement to set up a community liaison group.
- The ability for Environment Canterbury to review the consent twice per year to deal with any adverse effect of the activity, or to require the adoption of the best practicable option to remove or reduce any adverse effect on the environment or to require additional monitoring.
Submissions summary
The consent applications were received in September 2019 and publicly notified.
In total, 126 submissions were received – of those:
- 117 opposed the applications,
- 6 supported the applications,
- 3 indicated they were neutral to the applications, and
- 17 submitters asked to be heard at the hearing.
NB One late submission was received by the Hearing Panel at the hearing and accepted.
View full background of the application, including all relevant documents.