Christchurch City Council is the largest of six Canterbury councils which, along with two private firms, collectively sought the rights to build and operate a landfill at the Kate Valley site. The joint venture company is Transwaste Canterbury Ltd.

A panel of four independent Commissioners heard evidence in a comprehensive resource consent hearing process in late 2002 and early 2003, and granted consents in April 2003. A small number of the conditions attached to these consents were appealed by Transwaste Canterbury, and two other groups appealed the entire decision. The Environment Court heard evidence relating to the appeals in October and November 2003.

Transwaste Chairman Denis O’Rourke says the fact that all of the consents sought have been granted sends a clear message that the Environment Court accepted that the Kate Valley site is suitable for a comprehensively engineered modern landfill.

“Transwaste will now move onto the physical development of a modern, environmentally sound, high standard waste disposal facility in Canterbury.”

Mr O’Rourke says this will realise two of the goals set out in the recently published New Zealand Waste Strategy, also reflected in the Christchurch City Solid Waste Management Plan, to lower the risks of waste and reduce damage to the environment from waste disposal.

“Christchurch and Canterbury already have had huge success in reducing waste and this decision will allow progress in waste reduction to continue, with safe disposal of residual waste,” says Mr O’Rourke.