Waihi Village turns down water, wastewater supply from Taupō District Council

Waihi Village on the shore of Lake Taupō. Photo / NZPA

The Waihi Village community has turned down a Taupō District Council offer to spend $1.95 million to connect the 36-house village, marae and an adjoining lodge to a reticulated water and wastewater scheme.

Instead, the historic private village, a significant site for Ngāti Tūwharetoa on the southern shores of Lake Taupō and the home of its paramount chief, will investigate its own solutions for providing potable water and for resolving the issue of dealing with wastewater.

At present, homes in the village are connected to septic tanks, which is problematic given many of the tanks are ageing and the village is close to Lake Taupō.

The council had been working with the village since it was approached by the Waihi Marae Trust in 2014 on a project to provide the village with safe, potable drinking water sourced from the Tūrangi water scheme, and the Ministry of Health also agreed to provide $471,000 from its Drinking Water Subsidy Scheme.

At the time, it was also proposed to connect Waihi to Tūrangi's wastewater treatment plant as a common trench could be used for both the water and wastewater infrastructure, resulting in cost savings.

However, extending water and wastewater pipes into the village was fraught with difficulty, mainly because the road into the village is on top of landslip debris that buried villages in 1780, 1846 and 1910. About 150 people lost their lives as a result of the slips and it is likely that kōiwi tangata, or human remains, lie buried underneath the road reserve corridor and might be disturbed by pipe laying. Given that, any pipe laying along Waihi Rd could be undertaken only in a culturally sensitive manner and with the full support of the village community.

There were also challenges associated with the pipes needing to cross streams, a swamp, hot ground and slip debris, potential disruption of wāhi tapu; and land ownership issues were also difficult.

Dawn across Waihi Bay, Lake Taupō. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

Consultation was held in April and May with six submissions in favour and one opposed. However, two late submissions were also received. One was from the Waihi Marae Trust, which said the majority of hapū members of Ngāti Turumakina, Waihi Village, had voted not to proceed with the council water project, preferring to remain autonomous and to investigate and look at other water and wastewater options for the village.

A report tabled at last Tuesday's online Taupō District Council meeting says wastewater at Waihi Village was being disposed of via individual septic tanks, which were usually adequate for public health purposes but did not treat effluent to a high standard and did not cope well with shock loading, such as when the marae hosted a large number of visitors.

Waihi Marae trustee John Bishara, who appeared at the meeting as "a reluctant participant", said he regretted the decision.

"It was a disappointing decision that was made by our people."

However, he said he wanted to thank and acknowledge the mayor, deputy mayor and all the councillors and council staff for the time, effort and commitment they had put into the project.

Mayor David Trewavas thanked Mr Bishara for his support, but added the mayoral office was "very surprised" when the agenda item came up.

"The foundations were laid many years ago and so we find ourselves in a disappointing situation, but appreciate your words and appreciate how difficult it is for you as well."

He added, though, that Waihi Village was both iconic and sacred, and to be able to protect the lake waters into the future would be appreciated.

"We're here and available any time to continue our discussions should you need them, if you could pass that on to fellow owners."

Deputy Mayor Christine Rankin said she was worried for the hapū and worried for the lake, but there was nothing the council could do.

"The decision is the decision, we have to live with it, but I think we're all concerned about it."

Bill Jamieson, owner of Braxmere Lodge, on the outskirts of Waihi Village, also appeared at the meeting. Braxmere pays to truck its 500,000 litres of wastewater to the Tūrangi Wastewater Treatment Plant every year and Mr Jamieson had been in favour of the council going ahead with the pipework, even if it only went as far as the lodge. He also offered to contribute $130,000 to the cost, saying the village would have the option to connect to the pipework at a later date.

He said feedback showed high concern of the possibility of village wastewater eventually making its way into the lake, and the water project would have prevented that as well as improving the lake water quality in the bay.

"We have people from Braxmere having to go to the doctor's with duck itch or a rash from swimming in the lake at the bottom end. All of us would like to see the lake health improved over time and this is a way to do it."

Council water reforms asset manager Barry Somers told the meeting an initial community meeting before formal consultation had been in favour of the project. He did not think it was possible to go ahead without full village support.

"This isn't a simple project , there's really complicated land ownership, complicated geology and the slip."

Cr Anna Park said the decision not to proceed flew in the face of what the Government was trying to achieve with its Three Waters initiative. She proposed an amendment to the resolution so that the public record would reflect that the council was reluctantly having to halt the project, saying it went against the grain of what was right in regard to public health.

The amended resolution, which was passed, stated that the council reluctantly would not be proceeding with the project in recognition of the decision of the marae committee.

However, the council asked Mr Bishara to let the marae trust know that dialogue remained open and it still wanted to work with the village on water and wastewater.