Tauranga Moana Marae On-site Wastewater Pilot Project

Background/Statutory Framework Marae are a vital part of our communities. All Marae in the Bay of Plenty with on-site wastewater systems require resource consent under the On-Site Effluent Treatment (OSET) Regional Plan. Approximately 100 Marae do not presently have resource consent, and little is known about the status of their OSET systems. The goal would be to ensure all Marae have effective wastewater systems and that BOPRC have the necessary information to ensure water supplies are protected.

Pilot Project Brief A lack of available information regarding Marae wastewater was identified by BOPRC. The project sought to gather this information through a pilot project, concentrating on 14 Tauranga Moana Marae with OSET systems. 4 of these Marae are located in the Tauranga City area. 10 in Western Bay of Plenty District Council area. A Brief was developed. Overall conclusions made. A summary report has been provided.

Project Team Trisha Simonson is a Senior Engineering Geologist with Ormiston Associates Ltd. She has extensive experience with wastewater system design and consenting. Frances Teinakore-Curtis is an adult student completing her PhD. She is also a trustee of the Tapuaekura Rakeiao Marae.

Engagement Initial communication made via phone call and followed up with text and email Phone call was critical as Trustees wanted to share their issues that were: 1) related to Marae wastewater 2) other Marae issues non-related to wastewater but relevant to the ongoing maintenance of the Marae as a whole Trustees set the date to meet; each hui was conducted on Marae Some Marae held a whakatau - engagement with ‘waewaetapu’ – new people on their Marae

Site Visits Site visits undertaken from 9 July to 28 August 2018. Two to three marae each day, organised with Trustees Reception on site – mihi whakatau Discussion about wastewater Fill in summary data sheet Walkover inspection Hand auger borehole Photos (OSET systems and soil test only)

Findings Occupancy Range from 30-200 overnight guests, 7 Marae considered regularly used. Maximum day occupancy ranges up to 1000 people (tangihanga). Existing Systems 1 AWTS system, 13 Septic Tanks. 12 Soak Hole systems, 2 Trench systems. 7 Marae had grease traps. No Marae septic system had effluent outlet filters. Septic tank size estimated from age of system, and with daily volumes calculated from occupancy, 6 Marae met the guideline of 48 hours storage. Environmental constraints Soil Type – generally sandy loams, category 4-5, suited to OSET No groundwater within 1.2m of surface on any site. Surface water clearance minimum 20m, water bore minimum 10m Cultural considerations Movement of para through pipelines past Marae or under mahau Proximity of soak holes to tapu ground

Risk Assessment An OSET risk assessment was completed, based on: Operational aspects: Regular use, large events, grease trap, septic tank capacity, number of soak holes, system failure in the past, system maintenance, reserve area. 40% Environmental and Public Health risks: Nearby surface water, nearby potable water bore, slope of the site, soil category. 20% Cultural safety risk: Soak holes near tapu ground/para moving past Marae. 20% Development risk: OSET impact Marae development/hapu aspirations. 20% All of the Marae were given a score and then ranked to determine highest and lowest risk.

Issues Identified Existing systems: septic tanks and soak holes. No effluent filters. Maintenance: only performed in response to failure/blockage. Small legal lots: expanding or replacing OSET difficult. Cultural: tapu ground/other beliefs/tino rangatiratanga. Funding: issue of significant concern. Lack of available area: limits development aspirations. Large events: possible public health risks. OSET not a top priority: more significant problems, lack of funds/deprivation in some cases. For two Marae gaining consent may be a difficult process. Some Marae expressed a loss of trust with local authorities given previous assurances that Marae would be connected to reticulation have not occurred. While it is understood reticulation is now planned for these Marae, concerns were also held regarding papakainga connections.

Challenges Identified Contacting people Advantage of not being directly BOPRC Disadvantage of not being directly with BOPRC Marae Trustees are volunteers Ongoing issues may arise in the future Trustees sought assistance with other issues e.g. Feasibility study to develop papakainga. It was noted that occasionally issues with tikanga may possibly derail a project Tino rangitiratanga

Summary – Pilot Project Findings There is a need for Marae Wastewater systems to meet the needs of the Marae. They also need to be Compliant No Environmental risk No Public Health risk Culturally appropriate There is a question about Hau kāinga having the skills to manage the necessary upgrades to OSET systems and gain regional consent?

Next Steps? Results of the project were reported to Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Resource Direction and Delivery Committee in April 2019. The project team were asked to undertake the next phase of the project which includes wider consultation.

Work Plan Step Activity Who When 1 Meet with Investigation Team Ryan, Terry, Trisha, Frances May 2019 2 Meet with TLA’s Terry, Trisha, Frances, TCC, WBoPDC, Toi Te Ora, TPK Questions Who can help? What can you offer? What are the related issues i.e. housing? June 2019 3 Meet with each Marae (x14) Trisha, Frances Update on progress to date and next steps July/Aug 2019 4 Meet with Iwi (x2) Terry, Trisha, Frances, Māori Policy What assistance is available? Aug 2019 5 Investigate Infrastructure Policy Terry Staff to report back to the Committee on potential eligibility for marae OSET systems to be accommodated in Council’s infrastructure policy. 6 Develop Technical Guidelines for Large Events Oct 2019 7 Report back to RDD Terry, Trisha, Frances Staff to report back to the Committee at an appropriate time with findings and suggestions for engaging with central and local government agencies to develop a management plan that ensures all marae within the region are proactively moving towards best practice and compliance. Nov 2019 Work Plan

Questions?