Latest news with #KevinWinters
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Regional Ratepayers To Fund $3.58m Loan For Tarawera Sewerage Scheme
Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 8:05 pm Article: Laura Smith - Local Democracy Reporter Bay of Plenty regional ratepayers are set to fund a $3.58 million loan towards Rotorua's controversial Tarawera Sewerage Scheme. The decision comes as Rotorua Lakes Council prepares to deliberate today on how to split costs of the $32.3m scheme between general Rotorua ratepayers, Tarawera property owners and other funders. Tarawera households currently face a lump sum cost of $50,315 each to connect to the reticulation scheme, which replaces septic tanks. The cost would rise to $55,601 for those who do not agree to on-site work on their properties by June 1. Bay of Plenty regional ratepayers are set to fund a $3.58 million loan towards Rotorua's controversial Tarawera Sewerage Scheme. The decision comes as Rotorua Lakes Council prepares to deliberate today on how to split costs of the $32.3m scheme between general Rotorua ratepayers, Tarawera property owners and other funders. Tarawera households currently face a lump sum cost of $50,315 each to connect to the reticulation scheme, which replaces septic tanks. The cost would rise to $55,601 for those who do not agree to on-site work on their properties by June 1. A report in the meeting's agenda said the loan would not necessarily reduce Lake Tarawera residents' lump sum contribution, but could 'give RLC an opportunity to reduce its interest costs and the targeted rate payable'. Making the loan interest-free would result in BOPRC forgoing about $150,000 per annum, or about $1.30 per ratepayer. Regional councillor Kevin Winters said the decision showed the council was helping Tarawera residents, while also signalling it wanted them to sign off work on their properties so stage two of the scheme could be implemented 'en masse'. He acknowledged it was not a grant as had been requested by RLC. BOPRC's chief executive could potentially further negotiate conditions, such as capping Tarawera households' costs. Councillor Jane Nees supported this cap being the $36,600 some Tarawera residents sought. Councillor Lyall Thurston said BOPRC wanted to see 'some finality to this ongoing saga at Tarawera', and hoped the decision would be well received by RLC. He said he understood some colleagues held concerns and apprehensions. Councillor Ken Shirley said spreading the cost among regional ratepayers was a 'slippery slope' in what other councils might expect in future, but he believed schemes should be considered on their own merits. The regional council also voted to have an independent review of the scheme funding and project management completed by the councils prior to loan drawdown. It came after Tarawera resident Tracey McLeod raised potential issues with the stated costs and funding of this and other sewerage schemes. She presented at a prior regional council meeting and emailed both councils the results of her investigation on Friday. Thurston said in Monday's meeting that McLeod had gone to 'great lengths to emphasise that costs have been overstated in the scheme' and there were calls for an inquiry and audit. He believed there could be pushback from both councils on that, but believed some of the 'figures bandied around need to be analysed very closely'. 'I'm starting to get totally confused with the size and the quantum of the figures that members of the community say are grossly inflated, overstated and quite frankly, I want to know what the real story is.' He said the figures in question had been circulating in the public domain for a long time and needed to be challenged, acknowledged and this issue 'put to rest once and for all'. BOPRC chairman Doug Leeder agreed some 'forensic analysis' was needed to either validate or reject what was claimed. RLC infrastructure and assets group manager Stavros Michael told Local Democracy Reporting the council was aware BOPRC was working on a response to McLeod's claims about the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes programmes deed funding, which BOPRC administered. He said the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme is not part of those programmes and had its own funding plan. RLC would be considering the scheme's costs and funding as part of the 2025/26 Annual Plan. RLC councillors will meet today to begin Annual Plan deliberations. Funding options for Tarawera the council consulted the community about included retaining the status quo, or reducing Tarawera households' contribution by $1m or $4m and splitting it among general Rotorua ratepayers instead. Of 344 public submissions on the matter, 232 wanted the $4m taken off Tarawera households. © Scoop Media
Scoop
24-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
How Rotorua's Air Pollution Transformation Defied Expectations
At its worst, Rotorua had the worst winter air pollution in the country. Now, in a feat some did not think possible, as of today its airshed has officially lost that polluted status. It is a 'significant day', showing how far things have come in the 20 years the airshed has been in place. Estimated early deaths caused by air pollution halved in a decade, as millions of dollars were loaned to replace thousands of old, smoky fireplaces with cleaner heating. The city's continued high reliance on wood burners, however, may create a challenge if air quality standards tighten as expected. The Rotorua airshed was first gazetted in 2005 to enable monitoring and introduce rules to help improve air quality amid pollution concerns. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is required to monitor air quality and manage pollution to national standards. These include for PM10 – small particulate matter, such as in smoke, which can be inhaled. If the airshed of a geographical area exceeds the national standard limit for PM10 more than once a year in a five-year period, it is labelled polluted. As of today, Rotorua's air quality has improved enough to lose that designation. Regional councillor Kevin Winters was mayor when the Rotorua Lakes Council adopted the Rotorua Air Quality Control Bylaw in 2010. It introduced rules to phase out the use of old and inefficient solid-fuel burners in homes and ban open fires indoors. Winters said the bylaw decision was not unanimous, and some said Rotorua could never lose that polluted label. 'It was very controversial.' A drive around areas such as Western Heights, Pukehangi and Fordlands convinced Winters to support it. 'It was like walking into a room of smokers. It was choking.' He viewed the past 15 years of work as a good example of collaboration between councils. He called Saturday's milestone a 'significant day'. Over the years, various measures were introduced to combat winter air-quality issues. Loans and grants were given for cleaner heating, an education campaign was launched, and compliance efforts were strengthened. About 400 grants worth a total of $735,000 were approved for insulation and to replace heating and remove solid burners since 2014. Grants are still available under the criteria. Between 2010 and 2021, about $11 million was lent to help residents buy cleaner heating options and insulation, funded by general and targeted rates. The latter ended a few years ago. A regional council spokesperson said the airshed introduction enabled it to start gathering 'real data' to understand the air pollution in Rotorua. 'It was the monitoring that followed that confirmed Rotorua had a winter-time air quality issue'. The Rotorua Air Quality Action Plan was introduced in 2008, a year that recorded 37 exceedances. The bylaws followed in 2010, then in 2020, Plan Change 13 (Air Quality) banned using all non-complying solid burners. In recent years, it has used an $8270 infrared camera to detect properties using illegal burners. Going forward, however, the change in Rotorua's pollution status could be up in the air, with new standards forecast. The spokesperson said research increasingly highlighted the ongoing negative health impacts associated with poor air quality. 'New rules focusing on even smaller particles [PM2.5] are also on the horizon, which will shift the goal posts further out.' This could prove a challenge for Rotorua, which still had high levels of wood burning for heating. Wood smoke particles are about 90% PM2.5. In a report, senior planner Elsa Weir said intervention would be needed to meet potential new targets for both PM10 and PM2.5. The council was waiting on government direction as to when the standards would be updated. It expected this to be after resource management system changes and not within the current Government's term. The regional council's other Rotorua councillor, Lyall Thurston, said while the airshed milestone marked 'significant progress', there was still work to do. He said collective change made an impact 'for the betterment of all Rotorua residents and visitors'. Thurston acknowledged other Rotorua Air Quality Working Group members, including Rotorua Lakes Council, Kāinga Ora and medical officers of health. Toi Te Ora Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr Gregory Evans in 2023 told district councillors that air pollution affected people of all ages, but some were more vulnerable. Short-term examples included exacerbating asthma. Longer term, accumulated exposure could cause cardiovascular disease, and some of the pollutants were known carcinogens. A study released in 2022 found that air pollution generated by humans in 2016 resulted in 3300 premature adult deaths in New Zealand. He said estimates based on that study's health effects model found there were 40 early adult deaths in the Rotorua airshed in 2009 as a result of domestic fire-produced air pollution. The estimate for 2022 was 19. The number of years of lives lost reduced from 596 to 246, while restricted activity days were down from 53,000 to 20,000. The annual social cost of domestic fires had decreased from an estimated $190.9 million to $78.7m.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Rotorua airshed loses its polluted status
Estimated early deaths caused by air pollution halved in a decade, as millions of dollars were loaned to replace thousands of old, smoky fireplaces with cleaner heating. The city's continued high reliance on wood burners, however, may create a challenge if air quality standards tighten as expected. The Rotorua airshed was first gazetted in 2005 to enable monitoring and introduce rules to help improve air quality amid pollution concerns. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is required to monitor air quality and manage pollution to national standards. These include for PM10 – small particulate matter, such as in smoke, which can be inhaled. If the airshed of a geographical area exceeds the national standard limit for PM10 more than once a year in a five-year period, it is labelled polluted. As of today, Rotorua's air quality has improved enough to lose that designation. Regional councillor Kevin Winters was mayor when the Rotorua Lakes Council adopted the Rotorua Air Quality Control Bylaw in 2010. It introduced rules to phase out the use of old and inefficient solid-fuel burners in homes and ban open fires indoors. Winters said the bylaw decision was not unanimous, and some said Rotorua could never lose that polluted label. 'It was very controversial.' A drive around areas such as Western Heights, Pukehangi and Fordlands convinced Winters to support it. 'It was like walking into a room of smokers. It was choking.' He viewed the past 15 years of work as a good example of collaboration between councils. He called Saturday's milestone a 'significant day'. Over the years, various measures were introduced to combat winter air-quality issues. Loans and grants were given for cleaner heating, an education campaign was launched, and compliance efforts were strengthened. About 400 grants worth a total of $735,000 were approved for insulation and to replace heating and remove solid burners since 2014. Grants are still available under the criteria. Between 2010 and 2021, about $11 million was lent to help residents buy cleaner heating options and insulation, funded by general and targeted rates. The latter ended a few years ago. A regional council spokesperson said the airshed introduction enabled it to start gathering 'real data' to understand the air pollution in Rotorua. 'It was the monitoring that followed that confirmed Rotorua had a winter-time air quality issue'. The Rotorua Air Quality Action Plan was introduced in 2008, a year that recorded 37 exceedances. The bylaws followed in 2010, then in 2020, Plan Change 13 (Air Quality) banned using all non-complying solid burners. In recent years, it has used an $8270 infrared camera to detect properties using illegal burners. Going forward, however, the change in Rotorua's pollution status could be up in the air, with new standards forecast. The spokesperson said research increasingly highlighted the ongoing negative health impacts associated with poor air quality. 'New rules focusing on even smaller particles [PM2.5] are also on the horizon, which will shift the goal posts further out.' This could prove a challenge for Rotorua, which still had high levels of wood burning for heating. Advertise with NZME. Wood smoke particles are about 90% PM2.5. In a report, senior planner Elsa Weir said intervention would be needed to meet potential new targets for both PM10 and PM2.5. The council was waiting on government direction as to when the standards would be updated. It expected this to be after resource management system changes and not within the current Government's term. The regional council's other Rotorua councillor, Lyall Thurston, said while the airshed milestone marked 'significant progress', there was still work to do. He said collective change made an impact 'for the betterment of all Rotorua residents and visitors'. Thurston acknowledged other Rotorua Air Quality Working Group members, including Rotorua Lakes Council, Kāinga Ora and medical officers of health. Toi Te Ora Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr Gregory Evans in 2023 told district councillors that air pollution affected people of all ages, but some were more vulnerable. Short-term examples included exacerbating asthma. Longer term, accumulated exposure could cause cardiovascular disease, and some of the pollutants were known carcinogens. A study released in 2022 found that air pollution generated by humans in 2016 resulted in 3300 premature adult deaths in New Zealand. He said estimates based on that study's health effects model found there were 40 early adult deaths in the Rotorua airshed in 2009 as a result of domestic fire-produced air pollution. The estimate for 2022 was 19. The number of years of lives lost reduced from 596 to 246, while restricted activity days were down from 53,000 to 20,000. The annual social cost of domestic fires had decreased from an estimated $190.9 million to $78.7m.
Irish Times
23-04-2025
- Irish Times
Garda whistleblower to sue force over arrest by armed officers during football match
A former garda who was arrested by the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) as he took part in a football match with friends is to sue the force. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is taking a case against Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on a number of grounds, including the circumstances of his arrest. The case also claims breaches of the Protected Disclosures Act relating to whistleblower claims the man made about allegedly defective gun holsters acquired by An Garda Síochána . It is the ex-garda's case that he was penalised for acting as a whistleblower in relation to the holsters, which he said posed a serious safety risk to users. READ MORE The matter has been the subject of several protected disclosures and has been raised in the Dáil on multiple occasions. It has also been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission , which is now known as Fiosrú. The whistleblower is facing trial in the Circuit Criminal Court on a number of serious charges relating to alleged weapons offences. He denies all charges. In 2020, following an investigation into these matters, heavily armed officers from the ERU, a specialised garda unit used in high-risk operations, launched an operation to arrest the man, who was still serving as a garda at the time. ERU officers moved in and detained the man as he was taking part in a football match in a Dublin park with friends. It is understood the man initially thought it was a prank and that he knew some of the officers taking part in the operation. Sources said ERU officers were directed to arrest him in public instead of at his home to avoid any risk of a siege. The man will claim in the High Court that he was the subject of a wrongful arrest and that the manner of the detention was a gross overreaction. The case was lodged in the High Court on April 11th. He is being represented by Belfast-based solicitor Kevin Winters. He will also allege he is being punished for acting as a whistleblower regarding the holsters. He first raised concerns about the leather holsters, which were manufactured by an Irish saddlery company, in 2019. During a recent Dáil debate, Labour TD Alan Kelly held up one of the leather holsters, which have since been removed from Garda service. He said the Garda National Technical Bureau had found the holster to be 'dangerously defective' and that it was capable of engaging the gun's trigger, causing it to fire. The technical examination was carried out in 2020 after a garda assigned to protection duty at the Israeli embassy suffered serious injuries when his weapon accidentally discharged. That garda has also sued the force in relation to the incident. The same type of holster was being used by Garda Colm Horkan one week later when he was shot dead with his own weapon while on patrol in Castlerea, Co Roscommon. Stephen Silver shot Garda Horkan 11 times after removing the handgun from its holster during a struggle. In 2023, he was jailed for life. Earlier this month, Mr Kelly asked Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan why Garda Horkan's holster was not forensically examined by ballistics experts after the incident, despite being bagged and taken away as evidence. He said there is no doubt Silver is responsible for Garda Horkan's murder, but that 'the question must be asked whether the defective holster should have been investigated for that incident as well'. In 2023, Mr Harris announced the force had acquired a new type of holster which makes it more difficult for gardaí to be disarmed by suspects.
