Landfill timeline and community opposition
A community united in opposition
Mahurangi Matters sought the views of community leaders in the wake of the commissioners’ decision to grant a resource consent to allow a landfill in the Dome Valley …
Dr Jason Smith
Mayor of Kaipara District Council (KDC)
I am extremely disappointed. The KDC’s elected members voted unanimously to put in a submission rejecting the idea of a landfill, which we did. My feeling is that the broad range of concerns that we had, including about the impacts on traffic and on the future of the waterways, have not been addressed. Waste Management themselves cannot guarantee in perpetuity that the lining of any proposed landfill will last forever. There comes a future point when it is going to fail. In 20, 50 or 500 years from now, people will say what on earth were they thinking? I still believe New Zealand can find better solutions to disposing of waste rather than having a hole in the ground in the bush.
Environment- Empty words on climateBy: Stuart Windross
The Mahurangi East Residents and Ratepayers Association (MERRA), says it is absurd that Auckland Council should declare a Climate Emergency, yet be prepared to accept hundreds of heavy diesel road vehicles servicing a proposed landfill in the Dome Valley.
In June 2019, Auckland Council declared a Climate Emergency. It committed to halving Auckland’s greenhouse emissions by 2030 and promised climate change would now be “front and centre of its decision making”. Likewise, the Climate Change Commission has promised strong and decisive action to address climate change across Aotearoa. National and local polices and targets around emissions, traffic congestion, road safety and freight-onto-rail mesh nicely. Momentum and commitment seems evident. So how does this manifest in practice?