Simmonds referred the matter to a board of inquiry.
Simmonds said in a letter to Waipā District and Waikato Regional Councils that she considered Global Contracting Solutions Limited’s application for resource consent to be “a proposal of national significance.”
Hamilton-based Global Contracting Solutions first launched resource consent applications with the two councils in 2021.
If approved, the plant called Paewira would be built at 401 Racecourse Rd, north of Te Awamutu, between the local racecourse and Fonterra effluent ponds, and burn 150,000 tonnes of waste annually.
The waste would be sourced from councils across the wider Waikato region, and generate 15MW of electricity, enough to provide for about 14,000 households.
A call-in means that the proposal would be heard by either a Board of Inquiry or the Environment Court and would allow for greenhouse gas emissions to be considered.
Simmonds said she decided to refer the matter to a Board of Inquiry since the proposal “aroused widespread public concern or interest” regarding its actual or likely effect on the environment.
“And ... the matters involve or is likely to involve technology, processes, or methods that are new to New Zealand and affect its environment,” Simmonds said.
“In reaching my decision, I considered the views of the applicant, and the relevant local authorities, the capacity of the local authority to process the matter and the recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority.”
The Board of Inquiry would have three to five members, including at least one appointee nominated by the Waikato River Authority.
The Environmental Protection Authority would now publicly notify the Minister’s direction and commence the planning and arrangements for a revised submission and hearings process.
The Board of Inquiry process was the outcome both councils sought.
Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds has called in the resource consent application for a waste-to-energy plant in Te Awamutu. Photo / Phil Smith
Global Contracting Solutions preferred for the matters to be referred to the Environment Court, to be consistent with the call-in of the Waimate consent application.
Two community groups have already spoken out in support of the minister’s decision.
Zero Waste Network Aotearoa spokesperson Sue Coutts said they were pleased Simmonds had called in the resource consent application, to ensure all factors were taken into account and that stakeholders got a chance to have a say.
A Global Contracting Solutions spokesperson said they were pleased to “finally have a decision” and a “path forward” for hearing the application.
“It has been a long road and ... while we would have preferred an Environment Court hearing, either setting allows for all interested parties to present their cases both for and against.
“We can now continue to work with both councils and other parties in preparation for the hearing. We have been able to use the time delay in preparing more information to support our application. This will be made public through the coming process.”
Paewira proposal timeline
• In December 2021, Global Contracting Solutions launched resource consent applications to build a waste-to-energy plant in Te Awamutu with Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council
• In March 2022, the regional council asked GCS for more information on a number of matters including flooding, air quality, and waste acceptance
• In April 2022, Waipā District Council asked GCS for further information in regards to acoustic effects, operational effects and mitigation
• In July 2022, GCS responded to both requests
• In September 2023, the councils decided to jointly process the consent applications and invited feedback from the community
• Submissions closed in October 2023
• In October 2023, the district council asked GCS to provide further information on landscape, national, regional and district policy instruments and waste sources
• The same month, the community group Don’t Burn Waipā organised a protest against the proposed plant
• In December 2023, the regional council also asked for more information.
• The same month, Waikato Regional Council asked the minister to call in the application
• In February 2024, Waipā District Council joined the regional council in asking the minister to call in the application
• The same month, Te Nehenehenui, the post-settlement governance entity for Maniapoto, wrote a letter to the Minister for the Environment in support of the council’s application for a call-in
• In March 2024, Tukoroirangi Morgan, the chairman of Te Arataura, the executive entity for Waikato-Tainui, wrote a letter to the Minister for the Environment in support of the council’s application for a call-in
• In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Authority weighed in on the proposal saying it considered the proposal one of national significance and supported the councils’ decision to ask the Minister for the Environment to get involved
