Mana Whenua input for Hokitika WWTP highly valued
Discussion about the future options for the Hokitika Wastewater Treatment Plant are well underway in the second quarter of 2022. Contractors Stantec met with the Hokitika Wastewater Treatment Plant Project Oversight subcommittee on Tuesday 5 April to update them on the next stages of the process, developing and reviewing the options to build the new wastewater treatment plant.
Creating a partnership with mana whenua was of utmost importance to Council when starting the project. “We want to acknowledge the connections to the land that our iwi partners have”, says Mayor Bruce Smith. “Their knowledge and understanding are absolutely necessary for Council to consider the cultural aspect and values to build a new wastewater treatment plant that is acceptable to Mana Whenua and our community and we need to build a strong partnership for that to happen.”
“We really value the valuable insight our Ngāti Waewae and Ngāti Maahaki provide to the Subcommittee,” comments Chief Executive Simon Bastion. “In-house the level of experience and expertise amongst our council operations and project teams is the strongest it has been for many years as we work towards planning and delivering on what will be the Council’s largest project in its history.”
At the completion of the project, Hokitika will have a fit-for-purpose wastewater treatment solution that has been developed in partnership with local iwi and is sensitive to the cultural and environmental concerns of the community.
View the presentation here.
Photo by Stantec
