Mangawhai ratepayers will have to wait to see if they will get a judicial review into the town's controversial sewerage scheme that cost more than five times originally expected.
An application for a judicial review into the Mangawhai EcoCare wastewater treatment scheme - lodged by the Mangawhai Residents and Ratepayers' Association - was heard over three days in the High Court at Whangarei before Justice Paul Heath this week. After hearing evidence from the associations's lawyers and those representing the Kaipara District Council, Justice Heath has reserved his decision.
Mangawhai ratepayers were initially told the final scheme would cost no more than $10.8 million in 2003, then $37 million in 2009, while at the same time the council had taken out a loan for $57.978 million. The scheme left KDC with total debt of around $80 million, leading to the Government dismissing the elected councillors and appointing commissioners to run the council.
The processes the council used for the scheme were also highly criticised by an Auditor General's report.
Association lawyer Matthew Palmer said this was an important case not only for Kaipara ratepayers, the Mangawhai residents and the council, but also important for the constitution of New Zealand. It also affected the Bill of Rights Act and the rule of law.