Wongan Hills – consent applications for Kaituna Valley
Wongan Hills Limited has applied for a land-use consent and a discharge permit to discharge odour, for the operation of up to four composting barns/feedlots in Kaituna Valley.
The lot forms part of an existing wider farming operation at 229 Kaituna Valley Road, Ataahua. The composting barns/feedlots can be permanently occupied and will house a maximum of 2,200 cattle.
Update: 4 May 2023 - Applications temporarily suspended
On 17 March 2023 the applicant requested that we suspend processing their consent applications. The suspension finished on 22 April 2023.
The RMA allows applicants to suspend processing of the application at any time between notification and close of a hearing. The suspension can last up to 130 working days, less any days previously stopped, or until the applicant requests processing to resume. More information on consent application suspensions is available on the Environment Guide website.
As a result of the suspension, the anticipated hearing date is now July 2023.
Submissions have now closed on the consent applications from Wongan Hills Limited.
The consent applications relate to a proposal for the operation of up to four composting barn/feedlots housing up to 2200 cattle at Kaituna Valley on Banks Peninsula. There are two consent applications which have been notified:
- Use of land for a feedlot and composting barns (CRC224237)
- Discharge of contaminants (odour) to air (CRC224238)
Summary of submissions
We received 128 submissions, 28 of which want to be heard – which means the submitter would like to speak to their submission in person. General themes include concerns over the flooding risk, impact on Te Waihora and animal welfare. The majority of the submissions received oppose the applications.
As public submissions have now closed, and the consent applications are subject to a formal decision-making process as set out in the Resource Management Act (RMA), we can’t consider any additional feedback or comment further on the consent applications at this time.
Next steps for the applications
- A hearing will be held before a panel of independent hearing commissioners, with a date to be confirmed but likely to be before June. The hearing process includes evidence and presentations by the applicant, submitters, and reporting officers.
- Prior to the hearing, we will provide a written report as required under s42A of the RMA. This report includes an assessment of the application, an analysis of matters required by the RMA and regional plans, a summary of submissions received, and a recommendation as to whether the application should be granted or declined.
- This report, subsequent evidence of the applicants, and any submitter’s expert witness evidence is pre-circulated prior to the commencement of the hearing and considered by the decision-makers. These documents will also be publicly available.
- Once the hearing is completed and closed, the decision-makers have 15 working days to issue a decision.
Public notification
Public notification of the applications began on Wednesday 1 February 2023. You can use our webpage to view the formal public notice and application documents.
The public had 20 working days to make a submission, with the final date being Thursday 2 March 2023.
Decision to publicly notify
On 21 December 2022, we made the decision to publicly notify the applications.
Read the notification documents:
Our role
As an environmental regulator, our role is to assess the proposed activities for their actual and potential environmental effects. The two consent applications are currently being assessed and audited against the planning framework in the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
Decisions on consents must be made by delegated decision makers.
More information
More information about submissions, the possibility of a hearing, our role, and the RMA consent process can be found on our website.