Appeal made by Whanganui hapū Ngāti Patutokotoko against granted consent for Aquifer 182 Limited

In September, Aquifer 182 Holding Company Ltd was granted consent to extract and sell 750,000 litres a week of groundwater from a bore on Anzac Parade. Photo / Bevan Conley

A Whanganui hapū has lodged an appeal against a proposed water bottling plant, stating engagement with tangata whenua was not genuine.

In September, Aquifer 182 Holding Company Ltd was granted consent to extract and sell 750,000 litres a week of groundwater from an existing capped bore on land the company owns on the river’s east bank.

The company plans to bottle and make ice from the water at 182 Anzac Pde and sell the products both in New Zealand and to international markets, including North America and India.

The appeal was lodged with the Environment Court in October by Whanganui hapū Ngāti Patutokotoko stating it appealed the bottling consent as a whole.

The hapū challenged the determination the applicant’s engagement with tangata whenua had been genuine and respectful saying it failed to notify Ngāti Patutokotoko and other Whanganui iwi/hapū with relevant interests in the Whanganui River and its catchment.

The group also challenged the determination the proposed groundwater abstraction was consistent with Tupua te Kawa.

Tupua te Kawa is the natural law and value system of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 and the principles within which Te Kōpuka will uphold and operate within.

Horizons Regional Council group manager of strategy and regulation Dr Nic Peet said he understood an appeal had been made to the Environment Court.

“As Horizons’ role is to support the work of the court it is not appropriate for Horizons to comment further until the court has completed its work,” Peet said.

Due to the appeal, the applicant, Aquifer 182 Limited, also could not comment, the company’s founder Geoff Murdoch said.

An Environment Court spokesperson said if nothing else was determined to be needed and nothing else was requested by the parties, a judicial telephone conference with the parties would be held sometime after November 8 to discuss what the next steps will be.