Otago Regional Council complicit in QLDC sewage cover up

Analysis.

The Otago Regional Council is refusing to release key documents that will show why it has failed to prosecute the Queenstown Lakes District Council over the failed Shotover sewage plant that's been illegally discharging partially treated effluent into local rivers since 2021.

This is in spite of the ORC getting closer to prosecuting the QLDC and new information obtained by Crux that shows the QLDC deliberately ignored specific professional advice for over five years that the plant's vital disposal field has failed.

It is now too late to fix that failure and experts have told Crux that it is irreversible.

QLDC was given the same advice by respected global consultancy BECA in mid-2023 in addition to its own contracted engineers, consultants and maintenance contractors.

Prosecution by ORC could now carry extra weight due to the repeated actions by QLDC to not only ignore expert advice but allow illegal discharges to continue while issuing misleading public statements.

Crux asked the ORC on December 2 2024 under offical information legislation for their email and document exchanges with QLDC over the Shotover compliance. breaches. But it took until December 20th for ORC to reject the information application saying it was "too broad."

Crux has already complained to the Ombudsman regarding QLDC's failure to disclose any meaningful information regarding the Shotover plant failure and has now made a seperate complaint in connection with the ORC.

In a special feature tomorrow - January 17 - Crux will reveal new evidence that QLDC has not only ignored official advice on the Shotover failure but is now digging a deeper financial hole by spending large sums of ratepayer money in an unsuccessful global search for external experts who will support their view that there is a disposal field fix.

All of this suggests a likely halt to Queenstown commercial development is on the cards while a completely new facility is built at a new site.