Residents slam Akaroa wastewater fast-track bid as an ‘authoritarian disgrace’

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Christchurch City Council will seek fast-track approval for the $150m Akaroa wastewater treatment scheme, which includes disposing of treated wastewater on land planted with native trees in Robinsons Bay (above).

A plan to shut out the community by seeking fast-track approval for Akaroa’s wastewater scheme is an “embarrassing and authoritarian disgrace”, residents say.

Christchurch City Council decided on Wednesday, 12 votes to four, to ask Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop to allow the $150m project to bypass the standard consenting process.

If approved, the move will save about a year and around $4m, but will mean residents cannot have a say.

The scheme involves disposing of Akaroa’s treated wastewater on land planted with native trees in Robinsons Bay and Hammond Point, replacing a pipe that currently discharges treated wastewater into the harbour.

Banks Peninsula residents told the council they were “shocked” by the move and “deeply offended” by statements made by council staff in a report on the issue.

Friends of Banks Peninsula (FOBP), which has long opposed the scheme, said by seeking fast-track approval it appeared the council did not have confidence it could get the scheme approved by a hearings panel following a public process.

Council senior legal counsel Brent Pizzey said the fast-track process had a reputation for being short and sharp, but that was only due to the timeframes. The rigour the applications faced would be at least equal to that given by both the Environment Court and a hearings process, he said.

The final fast-track decision would be made by a panel of experts based on expert and technical evidence that was rigorously examined by other experts, Pizzey said.

Staff recommended the fast-track process after being instructed by the council last month to consider ways to make the consenting process faster.

Friends of Banks Peninsula deputy chairperson Suky Thompson told the council residents were not to blame for the delays with the project.

A standard process could take until late 2028, but a fast-track process was expected to be finished before the end of 2027.

While the fast-track process could be more expensive at between $1.5m and $3.5m compared to $1.5m and $3m, the savings would be made in the time reduction.

Staff said based on 2.5% inflation, every year the project was delayed would add $4m to the budget.

The wastewater scheme was approved by the council six years ago and it still did not have consent, Pizzey said.

Last month, the council reconfirmed its commitment to the project, but only after scaling it back to reduce costs when the price of the original scheme increased by $100m to $176m.

Scaling back the project means it has to apply for new consents.

Residents have long been opposed to the scheme. This photo was taken in 2016 when options were being considered.

FOBP deputy chairperson Suky Thompson told the council, the public was not responsible for delays with the project.

She laid the blame squarely on the council.

Thompson said FOBP had been the external eyes and reviewers of the project, which had come at considerable personal and community expense.

The group was “deeply offended” by a statement in the staff report that said opening the project up to a public hearings process would provide “more scope for submitters to raise matters that are not founded in technical or expert assessment”.

Thompson said the group’s work had been vindicated during the hearings process, and its technical work had saved the council many millions of dollars that would have been wasted going down the wrong track.

Another resident, Bruce McLean, said the council could not be relied upon to implement the project and it was pushing through a fraught scheme with no consultation and right of appeal.

Ōnuku Rūnanga and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu support the fast-track application.

Banks Peninsula ward councillor Tyrone Fields said he in good conscience could not support the fast-tracking. He believed the community should continue to have the right to push back against the scheme and continue to analyse.

Crs Yani Johanson and Pauline Cotter shared his concerns.

Cr Sam MacDonald said not opting for fast-tracking would slow down the process and add more cost onto Christchurch ratepayers, who were heavily subsiding the project.

Those in support of fast-tracking: Victoria Henstock, Kelly Barber, David Cartwright, Melanie Coker, Celeste Donovan, Tyla Harrison-Hunt, Nathaniel Herz Jardine, MacDonald, Jake McLellan, Andrei Moore, Mark Peters and Tim Scandrett.

Against: Cotter, Fields, Johanson and Aaron Keown.

Mayor Phil Mauger did not take part in the debate or vote due to a conflict of interest. He owns a property in Akaroa.