‘Pull out or pay up’ - mayor gives ultimatum to Te Awamutu waste-to-energy plant backers
Monday, 18 May 2026
The company behind a controversial Te Awamutu waste-to-energy plant has been given a blunt ultimatum from the district’s mayor: “pull out or pay up”.
The message from Waipā mayor Mike Pettit comes almost a year after hearings into the proposed $200 million Paewira plant wrapped. The project remains stalled and locals are still waiting for a decision.
The three-week Environmental Protection Authority hearings on the Racecourse Rd proposal ended on July 4, 2025, with an independent panel expected to deliver its ruling within six weeks.
But the decision was put on hold after the EPA suspended the process over unpaid costs owed by the developer to Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council — leaving the community stuck in limbo.
Global Contracting Solutions applied to build the waste-to-energy plant, described as a “toxic incinerator” by detractors, to burn about 170,000 tonnes of waste and rubbish annually to turn into 15MW of electricity, and divert waste from landfill.
Supporters of the Paewira plant say the town would benefit from the creation of new jobs, less waste going to landfills, and say the technology is safe, and state of the art.
GCS objected to paying $52,854 of a $101,811 fee charged by the Waipā District Council for consent applications. The council previously said $40,665 of that bill remains outstanding.
GCS also objected to the payment of $63,296 to the regional council for costs incurred prior to the hearings being held.
Neither of those bills have been paid, and numerous attempts by the Waikato Times to contact GCS about the unpaid fees have not been responded to.
In a statement, the Waikato Regional Council said GCS “has outstanding charges to pay … for the processing of its resource consent”. The council has “received a formal objection to those costs from Global Contracting Solutions … and is continuing to work through that process with the applicant”.
Pettit said due to inconsistencies in the Resource Management Act the EPA told him it was unable to release its decision or terminate the application.
“All they can do is suspend the application … and they are chasing them for the money.
“It's a ridiculous part of the legislation that clearly needs sorting out.”
Pettit said he, like everyone else involved, had no idea when the bills would be paid, or a decision released.
“It still hangs over us. The bottom line is people are trying to sell, particularly residential sections, and we need a resolution because the Act will not give us one unless these people either pull out or pay up.
“It's out of our hands, and it's as frustrating for us as it is for the many residents in and around town.”
Don’t Burn Waipā (a lobby group set up to oppose the proposal) spokesperson Angie Barrowcliffe said the situation was unfair, and “you never can relax”.
“Tax and ratepayers have already paid for this, it's like unfinished business.”
She said major life decisions, like the buying and selling of real estate, or the setting up of new businesses were all now “a little bit harder”.
“We feel like we were a little bit hard done by not having a final outcome.”
Te Awamutu property developer, and chairperson of Don’t Burn Waipā, Eoin Fitzpatrick said the last official contact he had with EPA officials was in December.
“Basically we got a blanket response from ministers that there's nothing they could do … and it's basically just stuck in limbo.
“We're all working under the auspices that it's very unlikely to go ahead anyway.
“I've got a couple of investors that are still investing a little bit, but everybody's being cautious.”