Council veto halts replica pa proposal

Proposed pa site at the corner of Recreation Rd and Station Rd, Kaikohe.

A proposal to turn a former Kaikohe dump into a replica pa appears dead in the water after the Far North District Council refused a request to lease the land.

Kaikohe man Willie Maihi had wanted to build the pa, atop the former Kaikohe landfill at the corner of Recreation and Station Roads, for more than seven years. His vision, Te Pa o Kaikohekohe, was of a bustling tourist attraction complete with actors recreating a traditional village.

The council turned down a request in 2014 to lease the 5.2ha site but, last month, considered offering an "agreement to lease" to give Mr Maihi security and a chance to develop business and risk-management plans for the pa proposal. That, too, has now been rejected.

Council infrastructure manager Jacqui Robson said the site would remain a recreational reserve for the foreseeable future. Developing old landfill sites was expensive and risky.

They could discharge hazardous gases, including methane, for many years. They could also contain hazardous substances and endanger health if disturbed. Many former landfills across New Zealand were used for recreation only, she said.

New National Environmental Standards governing the use of contaminated sites also required a site investigation if any change of use or soil disturbance was planned. If contaminants were found, a site-management and remediation plan was required.

Ms Robson said the council had no funding to carry out that work and could be liable if anything went wrong after a lease was signed, exposing ratepayers to unacceptable costs.

Mr Maihi recently visited the former landfill at Pohe Island to see how the Whangarei District Council had dealt with the hazardous gas issue.

However, Ms Robson said the new sports field at Pohe Island was partly completed before the new environmental standards came into effect - and the Whangarei council had budgeted $560,000 over the next 10 years to investigate, control and treat gas from the landfill to reduce public risk.

There were more suitable sites around Kaikohe that could be developed without such hefty costs, he said.