Consent for water take in Refreshment Place
I have been working with Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Swain to learn more about what is happening with the resource consent in Refreshment Place and as a result I am backing his call for a review of the consent that was granted to the water bottling business there.
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) administers resource consents for extracting water from the aquifer in the region and from those that have engaged with me so far, our community clearly has no appetite for consents being granted where copious amounts of water are extracted for export.
Apart from the serious environmental concerns, its just not right that there is a consent to extract nearly 180,000,000 litres a year from the aquifer and pay as little as a $349 annual consent fee.
Today, I have found out that the consent was granted in 2013 and after consulting iwi, one of whom said that they wanted the process to be publicly notified, GWRC felt differently. There seems to be anomalies regarding environmental effects in other parts of the decision that I am yet to get my head around so when I have answers I will update this post.
I believe GWRC should review all of the resource consents granted to extract water from Upper Hutt’s groundwater. This review should check whether allocation is too much, given the impact on water quality, recreation values, environmental impacts and any economic benefits to Upper Hutt.
Unfortunately we are hamstrung as a community because there is no avenue for us to manage the consent or charge, for example, a royalty per litre extracted and exported. Christchurch City Council are seeking support from the Government which, I believe, is necessary.
It’s time for a change and I am looking forward to a review, support from the Government and more protections for our water and communities.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please do comment below or contact me.
Show us your winter craft or DIY projects
When we are stuck inside, it can be a time to get creative. And we think Neighbourly members are quite a creative bunch. So, let's fill the Neighbourly newsfeed with crafty creations from across the country.
Share a photo below of your craft projects, recent DIY, or your hobby. You may just inspire someone else!
Latest scams to look out for 👀
Neighbourly hopes to keep you safe by keeping you informed of the latest scams circulating. This week, we are sharing two common text message scams:
NZTA / Waka Kotahi scam:
- The scam is a text message saying it's from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, and it encourages the recipient to pay an overdue road toll by visiting a fake website, threatening to take the matter to court within 15 days if they don’t pay up.
- The aim is to trick people into giving away their personal details or pay them money.
- While it is not the first time toll payments have been utilised by scammers, the threat of court action could see more people fall victim.
- The sender will either be a unknown phone number or unknown email address.
Want to report one of these scams? Do so, on Netsafe
NZ Post scam:
- This scam arrives by test message and says it's from NZ Post.
- The premise is that delivery of your parcel was unsuccessful so in order to rearrange delivery. you must click on a link to give your correct address.
- The aim is to trick people into giving away their personal details or pay them money.
- NZ Post advises people not to click the link, but to report the message to the Department of Internal Affairs by forwarding it to 7726.
Think you may have fallen prey to a scam? Get in touch with Netsafe or contact your bank if it involved your bank details.
Remember, if you didn't expect the message and you are now asked to share personal details or money, then stop contact and seek advice elsewhere.
Feel free to share any below that you've encountered recently. This may help others across the country be aware.
This week's winners...
Congratulations to:
Jackie McConway from Blenheim
Zach Miller from Christchurch Central
Sonny Hepi from Otara
Robyn Stewart from Te Aroha
Michael Goomes from Hoon Hay
Get in touch here before the 30th of July, winners!
Not a winner? We do prize draws every Tuesday so check back next week.
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