Councillor details QLDC’s proposed use of emergency sewage powers

"On Thursday morning before the Council meeting there was a public excluded workshop session to discuss the outcomes of mediation and the next steps.

Councillors were told that within 3-7 days the CE would use powers we have delegated to him to discharge all of the treated effluent leaving the UV plant to the Shotover River via an existing open channel. 

We were told that this would be achieved using section 330 of the RMA which is reserved for emergencies.  They cited 3 emergencies - birdstrike, amenity, and public health.  I've never heard of an amenity emergency, and QLDC has been adamant there is no health risk due to the quality of the treated effluent.  The only reasonable ground (maybe) is the birdstrike issue.  

Given the timing, that claim warrants further investigation - QAC didn't raise it in recent discussions.  In addition, it's not an issue before the Court and so grounds for excluding the public from the discussion do not exist. 

If there is a risk of bird strike worthy of emergency status i.e. greater than normal and elsewhere around the country (and I’ve seen no evidence of that) then they clearly need to look carefully at the cause of the issue and at the options for mitigating that risk.

Those options were mentioned yesterday and include culling birds and installing bird netting.  There may be others.  But those options appear to have been discounted simply because they do not also assist with our other issues - which are certainly not emergencies.  

From where I sit, QLDC is changing the narrative and blending or conflating the issues to suit its objectives and the powers it wants to rely on - whether those be powers under the LGOIMA (to exclude the public) or powers under the RMA (to lawfully discharge without consent).  I don't like it - it feels manipulative and dishonest.  And it certainly doesn't feel like we're being transparent."