A rāhui is in place over the Mangakōtukutuku gully system to restrict people from accessing the area. Photo / Hamilton City Council
A rāhui is in place over the Mangakōtukutuku gully system to restrict people from accessing the area. Photo / Hamilton City Council
Hamilton’s Normandy Avenue eastbound from the Ohaupo Road (State Highway 3) roundabout to Odette Avenue will remain closed at least until Tuesday night, as emergency clean-up and repair work continues after a wastewater pipe collapse in Mellville.
The collapse last Wednesday morning followed a week of heavy rain and resulted in ongoing wastewater overflows from several manholes in the area.
On Monday, as the repairs and clean-up continued, a rāhui was put in place over the Mangakōtukutuku gully system to restrict people from accessing the area.
The rāhui will be in place for at least seven days, and covers the Mangakōtukutuku Stream, from Ohaupo Road to the Waikato River, and the tributary from Normandy Avenue.
Normandy Avenue remains closed to allow crews to access and repair the damaged pipe underneath the road, with council staff and crews working 24 hours a day.
Normandy Avenue remains closed, so as to allow crews to access and repair the damaged pipe underneath the road. Photo / Hamilton City Council
Last weekend, the council called on people in the Melville area to reduce their water use to minimise the volume of wastewater flowing into that part of the network.
Vacuum trucks continue to operate through Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 7pm to keep the affected areas as clear as possible.
The council has a defined framework regarding how respond to and notify people of contamination discharges, after putting new processes in place following a separate wastewater incident in 2020.
The council says its own investigation into the 2020 incident identified several areas needing improvement, which has informed the response to the Normandy Avenue issue while assessments and repairs are being carried out.
The council’s general manager of infrastructure operations, Eeva-Liisa Wright, said the council recognises the significance and value of waterways to the community, council partners, and tangata whenua.
“We’re in close communication with our iwi and mana whenua partners to ensure our response and plan to repair the issue is appropriate, while minimising any environmental and cultural impacts,” she said.
“We know there are sites of significance close to the area of the issue, and our Waikato-Tainui and mana whenua partners are working with us to formulate a plan that is considerate of those areas, including the streams and other bodies of water that flow into the awa [river],” said Wright.
The rāhui – a cultural practice that protects people, wildlife, and the environment from harm – will remain in place until mana whenua consider it safe to remove.
Iwi and hapū led a ceremony early on Monday morning. Karanga [calls], waerea [protective incantations] and karakia [prayers] were all heard on the banks of the Mangakōtukutuku Stream opposite the pā site. A pou has been installed at the stream, and will be in place until the rāhui is lifted.
A further ceremony will happen at that time to lift the rāhui.
“We are grateful to be working with our partners, and respect critical cultural considerations as our crews continue to work 24 hours a day on the wastewater pipe repair,” said Wright.
