Final report last task for panel

From the Mangawhai Community Waste Water Scheme Advisory Panel

The Advisory Panel is now in the final stages of editing and proofing the report that will be presented to the Kaipara District Council at their monthly meeting on 28 July at 10am, The Club, Mangawhai – the public are welcome to attend.

This is some two months later than was initially planned, but reflects the much higher than anticipated volume of research and analysis that was required by the Panel Members, who also had other commitments to meet.

All of the Panel Members agree that the project has been extremely interesting to be a part of, and has resulted in a much greater knowledge of waste water management, not only in Mangawhai but how it is managed in other areas as well.

The starting point for the Panel was about the future of the Scheme and not its historical issues. We started with the basis that Mangawhai has a community wastewater scheme – how can we develop a logical plan to go forward that benefits all in the community. This has required a large amount of research and looking at all the options and ideas put forward from many different sources.

The final report will be some 100 pages long and the Panel is currently refining the recommendations that will go to Council.

The focus for the Panel has been to deliver a roadmap for a logical long-term way forward that respects the ratepayers, residents and users of the marine environment around Mangawhai. We invite you to read the full report. The report may not please everyone – that would be impossible - but for many of you it will debunk some of the myths and legends around the Scheme.

So in summary, the report will be delivered to Council on 28 July and will then become a public document. At that stage the Panel’s work is complete and we will be excused to return to our normal lives. The Council will then take time to consider the large number of recommendations and the path forward from there.

As a final note, the Panel would like to sincerely thank the many local organisations, residents, ratepayers, council staff and professional service providers who have all willing helped freely with advice, knowledge and experience on this project.

n Panel members from the community are D’Arcy Quinn (Chair), Belinda Vernon, Dr Gordon Hosking, Darryl Reardon, Dr Ian Greenwood and Peter Wethey.