Utilising and protecting Bay of Plenty's geothermal taonga
But she said ongoing reform to the Resource Management Act – legislation that ordered 'outdated' management plans be reviewed – resulted in the regional council pausing the wider regional management plan for the systems.
'We've had to pivot a little bit because with the resource management reforms that are under way, council decided not to progress the region-wide plan change, they thought it would be better to wait until there's a bit more certainty about that.
'But they have agreed to still go ahead with the changes to the Rotorua part of that regional plan change.'
Up to 29% of overall use of geothermal water in the Tauranga system was for horticulture, and made up 96% of geothermal water allocated to non-geothermal activities.
In a submission, fruit and vegetable growers raised concerns that changes to geothermal systems management might result in further costs and compliance for users.
However, Doorman said access to water for horticultural irrigators in Tauranga was not changing and the plan was progressing, however, it would consider changes to allocation limits in Rotorua.
'We have made some recommendations for changes to the allocation [in Rotorua]. There's always been a limit to how much geothermal water can be taken from the system and not reinjected, and that limit has just been reviewed through some careful monitoring,' she said.
'We're basically saying if you're taking geothermal water out of the system to take heat, then you've got to reinject it.'
She said it identified a system-wide cap to the amount of heat that could be taken off the system.
'The reason for that is that because it's really important to keep your water levels and your geothermal aquifer high but also hot because that's what our geyser system relies on,' she said.
'If we can keep heat within this safe operating space, then we know that we can protect the mauri or the health of the geothermal system.'
Meanwhile, in its submission, industry group Horticulture New Zealand said consent conditions should be reasonable and proportional to the environmental risks at the key Tauranga site.
'The council's science has shown that the water quantity will run out before heat in the Tauranga system, so volume is the limiting factor rather than the heat source,' it said.
'Given that this is the case, non-geothermal uses of war water such as irrigation should not be restricted on the basis of retaining the heat source.'
It said consent conditions should also be 'mindful of cumulative compliance cost on users'.
It added that there was significant potential for low-temperature geothermal water to be used with ground-source heat pumps for zero-carbon greenhouse vegetable growing in future.
Growers were also exploring new heat sources for their greenhouses in areas like geothermal, because of the rising cost and limited availability of gas.
GNS Science, now functioning as Earth Sciences New Zealand with Niwa, developed a geothermal and groundwater interactive map to help greenhouse growers switch to geothermal heating.
Doorman said investigations were ongoing, including into the potential of Tauranga's low-temperature geothermal system.
She said collaboration with mana whenua was key to managing the natural resources.
- RNZ
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NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
Utilising and protecting Bay of Plenty's geothermal taonga
Bay of Plenty Regional Council's geothermal programme leader Penny Doorman said the resource was a taonga that was generally well managed, and there was even scale for greater use at some sites. But she said ongoing reform to the Resource Management Act – legislation that ordered 'outdated' management plans be reviewed – resulted in the regional council pausing the wider regional management plan for the systems. 'We've had to pivot a little bit because with the resource management reforms that are under way, council decided not to progress the region-wide plan change, they thought it would be better to wait until there's a bit more certainty about that. 'But they have agreed to still go ahead with the changes to the Rotorua part of that regional plan change.' Up to 29% of overall use of geothermal water in the Tauranga system was for horticulture, and made up 96% of geothermal water allocated to non-geothermal activities. In a submission, fruit and vegetable growers raised concerns that changes to geothermal systems management might result in further costs and compliance for users. However, Doorman said access to water for horticultural irrigators in Tauranga was not changing and the plan was progressing, however, it would consider changes to allocation limits in Rotorua. 'We have made some recommendations for changes to the allocation [in Rotorua]. There's always been a limit to how much geothermal water can be taken from the system and not reinjected, and that limit has just been reviewed through some careful monitoring,' she said. 'We're basically saying if you're taking geothermal water out of the system to take heat, then you've got to reinject it.' She said it identified a system-wide cap to the amount of heat that could be taken off the system. 'The reason for that is that because it's really important to keep your water levels and your geothermal aquifer high but also hot because that's what our geyser system relies on,' she said. 'If we can keep heat within this safe operating space, then we know that we can protect the mauri or the health of the geothermal system.' Meanwhile, in its submission, industry group Horticulture New Zealand said consent conditions should be reasonable and proportional to the environmental risks at the key Tauranga site. 'The council's science has shown that the water quantity will run out before heat in the Tauranga system, so volume is the limiting factor rather than the heat source,' it said. 'Given that this is the case, non-geothermal uses of war water such as irrigation should not be restricted on the basis of retaining the heat source.' It said consent conditions should also be 'mindful of cumulative compliance cost on users'. It added that there was significant potential for low-temperature geothermal water to be used with ground-source heat pumps for zero-carbon greenhouse vegetable growing in future. Growers were also exploring new heat sources for their greenhouses in areas like geothermal, because of the rising cost and limited availability of gas. GNS Science, now functioning as Earth Sciences New Zealand with Niwa, developed a geothermal and groundwater interactive map to help greenhouse growers switch to geothermal heating. Doorman said investigations were ongoing, including into the potential of Tauranga's low-temperature geothermal system. She said collaboration with mana whenua was key to managing the natural resources. - RNZ
NZ Herald
11-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Watch: North Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can't pipe stormwater
This is how the stormwater drain at the Bayview home often looks when there is less rain. Photo / Arturo Gatmaitan The homeowners said the only acceptable solution is for authorities to pipe the entire open drain. They engaged barrister Patrick Senior to write to the council, saying the couple considers that anything less would not satisfactorily address the safety risks, particularly around the fast-moving water and the presence of an outlet pipe near their entrance steps. They argued via Senior that the council's role is to maintain public stormwater infrastructure in a way that protects the safety and assets of Aucklanders. The open drain has visible inlets from other properties, and is connected to about 20 other properties and five public stormwater catch pits within Manuka Rd, Senior noted. It is maintained by Downer for the council. But council lawyer Dale Nicholson told Senior that authorities had no legal obligation to pipe the stream or stormwater. The existence of the pipe outlet and inlet would have been clear to the couple at the time they bought the property in 2021, Nicholson said. Arturo and Maureen Gatmaitan have raised safety concerns about the stormwater flowing through their property. Photo / Arturo Gatmaitan The flood plain and flood sensitive area would also have been clear on any land information memorandum they bought or viewed at that time. The responsibility to ensure land is safe from hazards rests first and foremost with the property owner and there are simple steps they could take to mitigate or eliminate those risks, Nicholson said. But as a sign of good faith, a $5000 payment was offered so the couple could fence the stream. That offer was made without any admission of liability and would be subject to council viewing an acceptable quote that details the nature of the fencing, Nicholson wrote. The Gatmaitans fear for the safety of their children when the stormwater levels rise. Photo / Arturo Gatmaitan 'The rear of the property is located in a depression, with an overland flow path running through it. Most of the backyard is in a floodplain and flood-sensitive area,' he noted. The couple wanted the water to be fully enclosed in a pipe and Healthy Waters had explored the practicalities of piping the open drain. 'Piping of a stream is a non-complying activity under the Resource Management Act. To test the viability of this option, Healthy Waters has obtained pre-application advice from council's planning and resource consent team on the likelihood of a resource consent being granted,' Nicholson said. The initial advice was that resource consent for full reclamation would be difficult to support because: It will need to be demonstrated there are no practicable alternatives or an alternative method for undertaking the activity; A functional need will need to be demonstrated, which is defined as the need for a proposal or activity to traverse, locate or operate in a particular environment because the activity can only occur in that environment; Functional need in relation to this proposal means the activity can only occur in the location of the stream. It is considered it will be very difficult for complete reclamation of the stream to meet this requirement. Arturo Gatmaitan said there appeared no resolution. 'My family and I are not after the council's money but we would like them to resolve the issue instead,' he said, defending his preference for a pipe. He can get to his home without crossing the stream but said he had to 'jump' the water to get to the piece of ground he owns on the other side. He was reluctant to take the $5000 to fence the property so the situation had reached an impasse. Anne Gibson has been the Herald's property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Scoop
Hoarder's Home Drew 19 Complaints Before Fire
Article – Linda Hall – Local Democracy Reporter In the early hours of Saturday morning the 'materials', which included piles of scrap wood, ignited and quickly spread. Nineteen complaints were made in one year to Hastings District Council about a home surrounded by hoarded goods before it caught fire over the weekend. But firefighters as recently as eight months ago did not deem the pile a fire hazard, because of a lack of ignition source – meaning there was no enforcement option available to authorities. In the early hours of Saturday morning the 'materials', which included piles of scrap wood, ignited and quickly spread to the Frederick Street home, near the Mahora shops. Firefighters were called from Hastings, Napier and Taradale. One person was treated by ambulance staff at the scene. Police said on Monday the fire was now being treated as suspicious, and they were investigating. Neighbours and locals who have watched the pile in the yard grow over the past few years say they have been stunned at the lack of council action at what they claim was an obvious fire risk. A council spokesperson said it had received the complaints, but after exploring the Health Act, Building Act and the Resource Management Act it found 'no enforcement tools available' to allow it to remove goods from the private property. The council spokesperson said staff were exploring whether there were any other options for enforcement before the fire broke out. The council has now employed contractors for an urgent clean-up of the charred debris at the house, the cost of which is yet to be determined. A close neighbour, who declined to be named, said the house was set up like a 'fortress' and said the last four and a half years living beside an 'obvious' fire risk had been 'hell' for her family. She said she was lucky in the early hours of Saturday morning she was lying awake when 'all of a sudden the room was light'. By the time her husband went outside to have a look and came back in, the blaze had spread from the stuff piled in the front yard to the neighbours' house. 'We woke up our three children and my mother-in-law and took them over the road, then grabbed our dog and birds. 'I also grabbed my go bag, which has our birth certificates in it, because I just knew that one day this would happen. 'Things were exploding. It was scary as hell. Just nuts man.' Among the debris was a charred gas bottle, which was placed on the footpath near the home at Frederick Street on Saturday. Firefighters remained onsite most of the day with parts of Frederick Street closed to traffic. The neighbour said she had made numerous complaints to the council about the piles of goods around the property. 'I've been sent from the council to the police to fire and back to the council. 'People have said to me 'why don't you just move?' 'It's not that simple. We bought in the boom, so paid top dollar and the fortress wasn't there then – you could see the front door.' Fire Emergency New Zealand Hawke's Bay advisor for risk reduction Clayton Locke said the house was assessed roughly eight months ago and no fire hazard was found. A fire risk was different from a fire hazard, he said. '[Even] your car parked on the side of the road can be a fire risk. 'A fire hazard has an ignition source such as an incinerator in your backyard, with grass up to the window sills,' Locke said. He said if a property was found to have a fire hazard, firefighters' first approach would be education, before then issuing a notice of remedy. Rochelle Sudfelt from ClearHoarding NZ – a task force dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma and providing support for homeowners who hoard – said she also made a complaint about the house last year. 'Someone from the council had assessed the property and didn't deem it a risk to the environment until it spilled on the berm,' she said she was told. She said one in 20 homes in New Zealand was considered at risk of becoming a 'hoarding house'. 'Fire is the greatest risk to people inside these homes as well as fire and emergency staff who put themselves at risk getting inside to help people. ' Another nearby resident said the council was receiving ongoing complaints about the Frederick Street property. 'I live just down the road, the footpath always had items being dropped on council land outside. 'I asked the council if they could advise the occupant to remove it and if it could do something about the risk it was creating. 'The items were then moved into the property until the room inside was running out quickly. 'I found the council's reply hard to believe. It said 'sorry, we understand your concern, but there is unfortunately nothing we can do, we are aware of the property, however, we can refer your complaint to the fire services to look into'. 'Nothing happened. This property has been a fire and safety concern for years.' Police urged anyone with information to contact Police on 105 and quote 250621/9027.
