Tuakau Proteins Limited Community Meeting

Tuakau Proteins Limited Community meeting. CANCELLED

This meeting below has been cancelled by Environment Action Tuakau (EAT).

Environment Action Tuakau (EAT) invites YOU to update the Tuakau community on the Tuakau Proteins Ltd (TPL) Application for Replacement Resource Consent for Odour.

We seriously DO NOT want TPL to get this consent as we all want a vibrant, safe and prosperous Tuakau, without the bad smell.

Please come to the Tuakau Hotel, George Street, Tuakau on Thursday 18th February at 5.30pm. CANCELLED!

Tuakau Proteins Ltd fined $180k

 Tuakau Proteins Limited fined $180k for causing odour.

The odour described as "death mixed with a septic tank" over a period of months and unlawfully discharging waste product into the WAIKATO RIVER.

Tuakau Proteins Ltd pleaded guilty to three charges under the RMA for the incidents between November 2019 to April 2020.

In addition to the fine, Hamilton District Court Judge Melanie Harland also imposed an enforcement order on the company prohibiting it from further discharges of objectionable odour and requiring certain improvements to be carried out on site.

Dozens of complaints from Tuakau residents described odours "death mixed with septic tank", "raw sewage", or "rotten eggs'.

The company was told by WRC "If this company intends to keep operating at this site they need to do so lawfully and without an ongoing detrimental effect on the community or environment".

WRC said a court order is now in place, offering "some degree of protection to this community through the coming summer months".

Living in Tuakau for 30 years, I am classed as a newcomer, we have endured odours from this rendering plant from the day we moved in. As far as the Judge putting an enforcement notice on TPL, we have lost count of these enforcement notices that TPL have been issued. They just do the one finger salute to the authorities and keep producing odours and polluting the Waikato River.Many of our neighbours have moved due to this facility and Envirofert Ltd (TPL's neighbours) that claim to make compost. Envirofert has huge odours and unlawful dumping of waste. Original owners were Gary McGuire (Tuakau local) and Andrew Bayly (MP for Port Waikato) from 1999-2014. Yes, Tuakau he now represents you in government. Another facility that the community has complained to the council over 20 years but to deaf ears from councils.  

As far as telling TPL to operate lawfully after decades of odour, pollution, dust, truck dropping product on roads, we feel that this is just words again and nothing will be achieved. 

That WRC said a court order in place is "offering SOME degree of protection to the community through the summer months", could be seen from the community as not being responsible and not giving the community Healthy Fresh Air that is everyone's HUMAN RIGHT.

The community want protection from odours, pollution etc, over the year not summer months.30 years is too long and these facilities need to close and shift where they do not affect the community.

The judge called the company's offending "reckless" adding that it had a "significant and profound effect" on the community.

These type of facilities should not be NOW around residential housing, parks, schools or eating businesses. 

It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong! 

Tuakau Proteins Limited meeting

 Monday 21 December 2020 @ Tuakau Memorial Hall @ 6pm.

All Tuakau community are welcome to the meeting at Tuakau Memorial Hall (Supper room), 70 George Street, Tuakau. This community meeting, regarding Tuakau Proteins Limited rendering plant on Lapwood Road, Tuakau.

Meeting Agenda:

Feedback on any issues raised at last meeting.

Plant improvements, plans for further improvements.

Plant operation & effects on neighbours;

Odour

Noise

Dust generation

Traffic safety

Community ideas & solutions

Resource consenting progress update.

All welcome, have your say on making TUAKAU a nice healthy area and being able to breath quality fresh air, this is not happening and seems to be with council's approval!

Andrew Bayly MP

Should this Member of Parliament get re-elected in the September 2020 elections he will become the MP for Tuakau.
He has been putting posts on FB and being in the local papers with many photo opportunities and promoting a caring politician, (those two words do not mix).
His BIO fails to mention that he was part owner and part operator of Envirofert Composting and Clean?fill facility in Tuakau from 1999-2014 when he then entered parliament. He was part owner/part operator with Gary McGuire (Tuakau local) 1999-2013.
In those years, 1999-2014, Envirofert had many non-compliances, unlawful dumping of waste, unlawful burying of waste, that was proven by independent and council reports.
The building of the clean?fill bund was not built to the approved plans, boundary bund was built over neighbours boundary and the drain for the runoff from the bund was not built at all. The run off drained into the neighbours drain causing flooding.
Having a discussion with this Member of Parliament about environmental issues could be a very interesting conversation, even though he promotes environmental issues being an interest of his.
Leaving Tuakau with years of air pollution and contaminated waterways would be an interest to  residents. Having a conversation with Bayly at the many 'MEET & GREET' meetings could throw up many questions, Tuakau needs to ask these questions when they can!
Waterways that are contaminated drain into the Waikato River. Contamination for many many years!
Bayly family are still associated with Envirofert, when will he admit the problems that Envirofert had and still have? Paul Bayly, twin brother of Andrew Henry Bayly, is a shareholder and director. Michael Bayly is a shareholder.

Envirofert are in consultation , now, with councils and so-called experts to renew expiring consents, from 2018 to ??????.

You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending!
C.S.Lewis

Source of Stench Revealed!

Finally after 10 years of complaining about odours at Bromley, Christchurch, the source has been revealed. It is Living Earth (LE)composting facility. Owned by Waste Management(Beijing China) and operated by Christchurch City Council.
Residents have known this and regularly complained to the Christ Church City Council.
Nothing was done as usual, only council saying it wasn't the compost.
The only reason that the council has had to admit to the stench from LE is because of COVID 19.
Many businesses had too close but the LE stayed working and the stench remained.
WHAT ACTION IS THE COUNCIL GOING TO DO TO FIX THIS??
I can tell you it will be council will tell LE to do this & that, LE will say they have done it and that will be that.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12333837


When will Waikato Regional Council admit to the putrid stench that hangs over Tuakau from Tuakau Proteins rendering plant and Envirofert composting/clean?fill facility?The council has failed the Tuakau community and they continue to fail the community by allowing new and less stringent consent conditions on these odour producing facilities.Tuakau and the area that these smelly businesses ruin with their odours could be the JEWEL for Tuakau.

Along and on Waikato River could be fantastic, with cycle, walk ways for many kilometres.

But the council and councillors seem hell bent on making Tuakau the smelliest region.

Who wants to walk, cycle, kayak, or boat with the pollution, contamination and putrid toxic air that we are forced to breath?
We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.
Benjamin Franklin

Waikato Regional Council and Tuakau Proteins Ltd update

Council say "Even though it is causing odour problems, the site is 'doing a good job'.

How can you reason with them with that attitude??

Tuakau Proteins Ltd unsafe working conditions!

A contractor delivered offal from a Waikato freezing works to Tuakau Proteins Ltd, Lapwood Road, Tuakau and had concerns for unsafe working conditions.

Due to the quantity that was delivered, Tuakau Proteins Ltd were unable to process it and the offal product was dumped on the floor. Blood and offal running down driveway!

The contractor was concerned about unsafe working conditions and after expressing his concerns the contractor was confronted by bullies and subsequently lost his job.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS ACCEPTABLE?


Smart people do stupid things. Stupid people don't learn from them!

Could Andrew Bayly be our 'NEW' MP for Tuakau?

Proposed election boundary changes for 2020!

The proposed boundary changes for 2020 election are to be reviewed.

If these changes are adopted approximately in April 2020, Tuakau will be in the 'NEW' Franklin/Port Waikato electorate. We were Port Waikato for many years. Our member of parliament representative, if elected again, will be Andrew Henry Bayly. Bayly was the owner and operator of Envirofert composting/clean?fill from 1999-2014. In 2014 he  entered parliament, MP for Hunua. Bayly's still have interests in Envirofert, shareholders etc. Envirofert is on River Road and Geraghtys Road Tuakau. Odours, dust are problems and have been for 20 years. Gary McGuire, Tuakau local, was also owner and operator at the same time as Bayly, not working to consent conditions from 1999-2013. In those years and the following years there has been many non-compliances and unlawful dumping of waste that was proven by councils and reports. This waste will leach and contaminate air, land and waterways that drain into  the Waikato River for years to come.  Envirofert are in the process of getting another 20+ years of consents (2019) with Waikato Regional Council the 'so-called' monitoring council for Envirofert. Is this the way that Tuakau will be treated by Bayly? Of course it will be! Residents will discover this when they go to Bayly with concerns about Envirofert etc. The ordinary person will not be heard or have concerns dealt with in the honest way by this MP, as we discovered when Bayly was at Envirofert (1999-2014).

I'm not impressed by money, social status or job title.

I'm  impressed by the way someone treats other human beings!

Envirofert Fail AGAIN!

Envirofert Ltd (EF) in Tuakau, North Waikato have failed again to work to RMA and Abatement Notice EAC5577. This was issued by Waikato Regional Council.

This waste was buried by Gary McGuire, owner and operator of Envirofert, Andrew Bayly (MP for Hunua). McGuire informed WRC that this waste was taken off-site. Of course it was not only buried and hidden. This unlawful waste was photographed by a concerned resident in 2010 and photos were sent to WRC. WRC filed the photos and did nothing, it makes you wonder why this was not investigated.

9 years later WRC have decided that now is the time to issue an Abatement notice EAC5577 nine years after it was bought to WRC attention. Had WRC taken into account of the photos sent to them in 2010 and also listened to direct neighbours that this waste was buried and not taken off-site, this would not be happening costing ratepayers many dollars because of GARY MCGUIRE again has failed to work to consent conditions. 

 In 2019 EF were to dig up the unlawful buried compost/GIB on EF's SW corner, approximately 30 mtrs from the Waikato River. Under the Abatement notice EF were to process and sell the material and LAWFULLY dispose of what they could not sell.

Instead EF dug up the unlawful waste and deposited it on another part of EF's land that was in contravention with the Waikato Regional Plan, s15(1) of the RMA and Abatement Notice EAC5577.

How many times can EF get away with these contraventions of the WRP, RMA and EF's Abatement Notices. 
 Peter DeLuca is director, Gary McGuire have 40% shares, Paul Bayly, Michael Bayly have 30% shares, MW Crawford Trustee Company Limited have 30% shares.
Paul McGuire, Technical Advisor?(Gary McGuire's brother), Allan Copsey, General Manager, Paul Yearbury, Operations Manager! 

We notice many other businesses under WRC get huge fines and EF get very low fines. Why is this do you think?? 

It is not my role to expose fake people. 
In due time, they will expose themselves for who they really are!

Envirofert Ltd Tuakau expansion & construction of 'NEW COMPOSTING PAD'.

In 2016 when Envirofert (EF)applied to the Waste Minimisation Fund, $1.5million, it was to fund 'state of the art' receivables shed and a 'state of the art' concrete composting pad' to drain leachate into drains and stop ponding on the site that leads to odours.

Now it is just a clay based pad!

2009 Envirofert were issued with a consent from Waikato Regional Council to receive food waste (10-12,000 tons per annum) and mix with green waste (40-45,000 tons per annum) to make compost. 

2009-20019 Tuakau has been living with putrid odours from Envirofert's compost operation.

Envirofert's new application(consents expires in June 2019) states no limit on food waste. The extension to the compost pad (see photo) to enable to process between 60-72,000 tons per annum without any crucial infrastructure and using the exact same methodology that they were using in 2013, the O2 Compost (Peter Moon).

If this application is granted by Waikato Regional Council, EF will be able to process over 6 times the amount that they were processing in 2016. EQUALS 6 TIMES THE LIKELYHOOD AND CONCENTRATION OF ODOUR.

 EnviroNZ, in Hampton Downs are required to have far superior, state of the art, infrastructure in place BEFORE processing up to 6,000 tons of food waste per annum to protect their closest neighbours being the prison, Springhill. The prison is 1150 metres away. If EF's consent application is granted in it's current form, Tuakau residents are being treated worse than prisoners as everyone in Tuakau within 2km(2,000 mtrs) are likely to suffer air odour and potential health problems. It's called ADAPTIVE mitigation. It's like allowing someone to drive without any lessons until they crash!

This seems to be the way WRC operate 'give consent and then wait for the complaints', then communities get told 'it is an established business and you have to live with it'! This is deceiving and dishonest!

 Don't piss off old people
The older we get the less
"Life in Prison" is a deterrent! 

ENVIROFERT LTD DUST HEALTH ISSUES!

Envirofert Limited state that this product is James Hardie Silica base Weather Board.

James Hardie Safety Data Sheet states: Dust may cause upper respiratory tract  irritation.Avoid creating dust. Can cause eye irritation. This product contains crystalline silica(quartz and cristabolite). Inhaling crystalline silica containing dusts can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma or emphysema. Acute silicosis may develop, and crystalline silica may be linked to scleroderma and an increased risk of kidney disease. Development of silicosis followed by complications and, eventually lung cancer. Also states ......'prevent dust from the product from entering environment as it may clogg drains and cause excess sediment in waterways'.
Envirofert have many internal drains and waterways that eventually drain into the Waikato River.

Envirofert Ltd Tuakau-Resource Consent application 2012-Waikato Regional Council.

To read Envirofert's application for new resource consents, 2019. 
Waikato Regional Council website>Community>Whats happening>Have your say>Current Resource Consent applications of community interest>Envirofert Limited(Tuakau)-clean?fill and composting operations. 

Being involved and trying to communicate with councils for 10 years concerning the many unlawful and breaches of consent conditions from Envirofert Limited and reading these documents, the only conclusion we can come to is LIES,LIES and more LIES!
UNBELIEVABLE, if the councils do not not do their own research, Tuakau is in for another 15-20-35 years of HELL!

The Most Dangerous People Are The Liars Who Think They Are Telling The TRUTH!

Envirofert Transfer Station??

Could this be the future for TUAKAU?. Could this be ratepayer funded?

Rumours that are circulating around Tuakau are that Envirofert Ltd (EF) are looking at putting a transfer station on their land in Geraghtys Road, Tuakau.

At the Community Board meetings (that are public, all welcome), EF have constantly pushed for a transfer station, usually by Vern Reeve (local land agent) and Gary McGuire (Tuakau local and majority shareholder of EF). Shaun Jackson of La Valla and Jacqui Church our local councillor seem to think it is a good idea also! So maybe they would like this Transfer Station next to them?

Next meeting is on Monday 4 February, 7.00pm at Nikau Cafe, 1779 Waikaretu Valley Road, Waikaretu. A public forum will be held at the commencement of the meeting.

The only land that is suitable for a transfer station on EF's land is the cropping land off Geraghtys Road, all other land is on swamp.

EF already have consent for light vehicle access using Geraghtys Road entrance.

EF have a 20 year history of non-compliances to many consent conditions, non-reporting, non water/ground well reporting, odours, unlawful dumping.
All neighbours are disregarded and have no say if, and it is written this way in the new application for 2019, under the RMA, the reports say that if the off site odour will be less than minor, all neighbours are disregarded.

Could this be why the RMA, councils and so-called experts are recommending in their reports for a 1 km odour separation zone distance from these odour polluters.

If these odour polluters require a 1 km odour separation distance, they need to OWN the land within the 1 km radius and if they wish, then sell it on with those conditions. 

This would be  dishonest to impose this RMA condition by councils, and odour polluters over privately owned land.

When EF have been proven not complying to consents, councils allow them to change the consent condition to the detriment of the community and environment. 

Transfer stations are noted for odour, noise and illegal dumping, already EF have been independently proven taking illegal waste that is leaching into ground and waterways that drain into the Waikato River.

This transfer station would be for Pokeno, Tuakau, Onewhero, Pukekawa and Port Waikato.

Each area should look after its own waste. The infrastructure at EF and controls are absolutely inadequate, eg councils, roads, and monitoring. 

You can dress up GREED, but you can't stop the stench!

Envirofert Ltd & Tuakau Proteins Ltd still stinking out Tuakau or is it POOAKAU?

Another summer ruined by these odour producing facilities that the Waikato councils encourage with new, replacement and old resource consents with conditions that are put in place for residents to fail!

Many upgrades are presented to councils when resource consents are to expire. The trouble with that is MOST upgrades are not done or watered down. Councils let this happen constantly.

Any odour complaint is treated by councils as a nuisance call, first few calls the council is obliging, then they refuse to answer phone calls and emails. Again, this is to encourage complainants to go away, another fail for residents.

Only residents that live within a 1km radius are consulted. Even direct neighbours are disregarded under the RMA. As long as the reports (paid for by the odour producing facility) state that the 'off-site odour is less than minor' then everyone is disregarded?

These odour producing facilities and councils use every trick, 
excuse, to explain why we have to live with the stench.

Summer, 30 degrees, and the house is shut up due to the stench. Rotten food waste and rotten meat waste. Leachate odours! Inhuman conditions and 3rd world conditions. Councils and facilities are bringing the quality of life for Tuakau residents down to 3rd world conditions. Even the council use the excuse, 'you think this is bad, you should see......'.

TUAKAU this is what the town and Waikato river users will have to put up with for another 20-35 years when the odour producers get their new resource consents. Possibly in 2019!

Envirofert's 20 year consents, 1999-2019 are to expire this year and Tuakau Proteins has applied to council for a new 'Discharge Odour to Air' consent that expired in 2018. Both applications are on Waikato Regional Council website for public to read. No decision yet on notification or submissions?

They will get them as councils don't seem to have the laws to make these odour producers to work within their consent conditions, even though the councils continually say they have! The councils say to us regularly 'we cant tell them how to run their business'. However councils DO have the ability to make the facilities work to consent conditions. This does not happen, many behind closed doors meetings are held and many back-handed deals are done! Money talks!

Councils then use law, lawyers and smart-mouthed 'so-called experts', to change the resource consents to fit the facilities CRIME.

As the sense of smell is so intimately connected with that of taste, it is not surprising that an excessively bad odour, should excite wretching or vomiting in some persons.
Charles Darwin










































  

Councils! bullying, sexism and intimidation. 2018 not 1818.

What has changed, nothing for centuries.

New Zealand government have announced that they are looking into bullying in the New Zealand parliament. 

An investigation needs to look into councils around New Zealand. They also have the same culture of bullying, intimidation and sexism towards ratepayers.

As ratepayers we have informed the WAIKATO  DISTRICT and REGIONAL COUNCILS for approximately 20 years of breaches of consent, unlawful waste dumping, trucks dropping product, noise, dust and air pollution and the bullying tactics from councillors, council staff and management has been overwhelming!

We have had proof of many breaches and pollution that we presented to both councils, after 20+ years and had our concerns scoffed at and consents been changed to fit the crimes and allows the facilities to do what it wants. Pollute and contaminate waterways and the air we breath. Smell it, you are breathing it! Health issues!

Richard Duirs did an independent investigation? (2018) for WRC, which ratepayers paid for. Can't see how that can be independent? His findings were that Envirofert Ltd, took unlawful waste from Watercare (Tuakau) and other facilities for 10 years. Envirofert was owned and operated at this time by GARY PETER MCGUIRE (TUAKAU LOCAL) & ANDREW HENRY BAYLY (now MEMBER of PARLIAMENT for HUNUA).  Local residents had told, photographed, and sent videos to the council about unlawful dumping for years and council, mainly David Stagg and Barry Campbell, have ignored the residents concerns. This investigation has only found the tip of the iceberg concerning illegal waste dumping. This part of the clean?fill that this waste was dumped in has now been capped, no longer in use. This will leach and drain into waterways for ever, eventually into the Waikato River and council have allowed this.
When David Stagg (WRC) was told by residents many years ago of the waste that Envirofert were taking from Watercare, his reply was 'No added chemicals', ignored again, only to find with Richard Duirs investigation that 10 years of illegal waste dumping has occured that will leach and drain into the Waikato River. If David Stagg had of actually done his job and followed up on our complaints it would have saved ratepayers a lot of money? Where are the 'Dirty Rivers' people with this? the silence is deafening!
Buried plasterboard has been covered up by councils, even after Envirofert told council that it had been taken off site. Envirofert admitted in 2017 that plasterboard had been buried  and top soil has been placed on top. This is now leaching and emitting hydrogen sulphide gases.

A new area within the clean?fill is being established to take more clean?fill, wonder how much will be unlawful? Councils have failed Tuakau by asking the offending facility self reporting questions and ticking the relevant boxes! Councils call this monitoring. 

We were told by David Stagg from WRC, that we would have to live with odours even though the consent states 'no odour beyond the boundary'. 

We have had many complaints, videos, and photos, blocked by council staff. Communicating with the council  CEO about the way we are treated and then told by the CEO that he has no problem with his staff attitude. If that is how the CEO sees this, then the whole council will have the same attitude. Institutional mentality?

Male complainants are treated with more respect and questions answered. Female complainants are fobbed off and scoffed at!

Councils threaten our health, and quality of life by not making these facilities work within the consent, (original).

With these attitudes towards ratepayers, sooner or later, somebody WILL take the matters into their own hands and somebody will get hurt!

Even a broken clock is right twice a day!

Envirofert & Councils fail community & environment AGAIN!

   1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,2008,2009,2010, 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 all non-compliant. WRC audits state many non compliance's, many reports, yearly, monthly, weekly not done, water testing not done, ground testing not done, compost testing not done, site management plans not done, recommended summary of actions not done, year after year very little has been fixed.

This is disgusting and councils are weak! Allowing Envirofert to continue to operate.

The short story of Envirofert's continuing failures!

In 2008 Envirofert, (owned, operated, shareholders and directors, Gary McGuire (Tuakau local) and Andrew Bayly (MP for Hunua)  approached Waikato Regional Council to take Watercare filter waste. WRC stated that if it was in WRC guidelines and Envirofert had the waste tested for heavy metals, contaminants and was within WRC guidelines, it was allowed. 
McGuire and Co did not get the waste tested, councils failed to monitor this in their yearly audits, even though they had knowledge of the unlawful waste. 
David Stagg of WRC was told about this waste being dumped at Envirofert years ago, his comment at the time was 'there are no added chemicals', so he was aware of this unlawful waste being dumped in the clean?fill. 
He still did nothing and after 10 years an investigation is done after a local paper informed the council of the dumping.
Fast forward to 2017-18, the investigation found Envirofert didn't test the waste and 10 years of illegal dumping about 30,000 tonnes of waste was dumped in Enviroferts clean?fill. Envirofert made millions of dollars and the investigation has proven ground pollution, contaminating the ground and waterways that drain into Waikato River.
Where are the "DIRTY RIVER" people on this?
Would Ratepayers pay for the report? If David Stagg had of listened to us, a lot of ratepayers money would have been saved! This is typical of council!
Abatement notice was issued by WRC to cease taking the contaminated waste. Investigation report has proven the waste is not in WRC guidelines.
McGuire has failed continually in everything he has tried.
McGuire family are still involved in the running and management of Envirofert, how can Envirofert be allowed to continue with 19 years of non-compliances?

Envirofert composting site. Note: Wet wet and wet. Yes that is Waikato River in the background!
Compost sitting on wet ground, leachate everywhere.
No wonder we get odours, still Regional council turn a blind eye, hide reports or change reports to the many non compliances after 20 years. WRC will issue new consents with conditions to allow Envirofert to continue to pollute and contaminate the air, land and waterways in 2019 for another 20 years.

Residents of Tuakau have told councils of the many operating issues at Envirofert over the 19 years, only to have those issues hidden. Council staff have failed the community.

This was taken on 28 August 2018. Envirofert had been issued with a 'Letter of Direction' from WRC to contour the composting pad to drain flood water and leachate. This was to be done by 1 July 2018. This has not been done and is typical of Envirofert.

I always saw pollution as theft, and I always thought, "Why should somebody be able to pollute air, which belongs to all of us, or destroy a river or a waterway which is supposed to belong to the whole community".             Robert Kennedy, Jnr.

Waikato Regional Council report-Envirofert investigation!

A report was done relating to the discharge of two types of materials discharged into the Envirofert clean?fill which FAIL to meet the required definition of clean?fill.

The report was done by Richard Duirs-Consultant Resource Officer

Envirofert from 2008 was taking water treatment sludge from Watercare treatment plants at Tuakau and Huia into their cleanfill.
22,000 tonnes of water treatment sludge has been placed within the cleanfill.


In 2017 Envirofert described the placement of questionable material in the cleanfill.This was waste paper pulp from Oji Fibre Solutions paper manufacturing/recycling operation.
2,000 tonnes of paper pulp waste has been placed in the cleanfill.

Leachate, pondwater and samples from drains etc all indicate contaminated leachate that has high levels of BOD and ammonia indicative of a high load of biodegradable material/organic waste entering the fill site. The mean heavy metal (or rather metalloid) of concern is arsenic but other metals like zinc, nickel, copper etc. all pose a risk.

The results indicate definite potential for adverse effects to occur or to have occurred in the past as a result of ongoing discharges to water. Also Richard Duirs, that did the report, stated, that he would be somewhat concerned about irrigation of pond water to land based on arsenic levels.

Residents of Tuakau that have been to Envirofert liaison meetings, had phone calls, sent video/photos to the Regional Council, sent emails  over many years with the same concerns and Waikato Regional Council have persistently fobbed us off. David Stagg of Waikato Regional Council stated at a meeting, 'no extra chemicals are added' after residents concerns of Watercare Sludge dumped in Envirofert years ago, nothing was done. WRC knew this unlawful waste was being dumped at Envirofert for approximately 8 years, Tuakau residents told David Stagg and still nothing was done.
Ben Murphy (WRC resource officer) has been given evidence of unlawful irrigation, unlawful waste dumping at Envirofert, but it seems that as long as council ask Envirofert the relevant questions and Envirofert answers them to the satisfaction of council, that is the end of it. That is monitoring to councils. Tick another box!  

Councils answers to monitoring are: We have allowed it, We can't tell them how to run their business, They are fully consented, We haven't got the resources! So, issue a consent, conditions are not meet, and council does nothing, looks like they have by reports (paid for by the facilities that are unlawfully dumping wastes) and audits, but, the truth is, council have failed miserably. Ratepayers are paying for these constant mistakes by council staff.

What the hell is a Resource Consent for? It is a legal document to allow facilities to do an illegal operation. Councils are to monitor!!!!!

Councils have failed to monitor Envirofert and have not followed up the many concerns that residents and neighbours of this facility, that if they had this might never have happened. Ratepayers money going into reports that would not have had to be done if David Stagg and William Gauntlett, Isaac McIntyre of WRC had of listened and acted upon residents concerns. Ben Murphy of WRC is resource officer and still nothing is being fixed, admitting that he had never seen the whole site. This is typical of councils, if they fix it, they wont have a job! It is a tip of the iceberg of unlawful waste that Envirofert have taken over many years. A dig up should be called for and waste be removed. Instead Envirofert have closed and capped that part of the clean?fill and opened up another area. Council will monitor the leachate(yeah right) and see if some of the waste needs to be dug up. Like that is going to happen!!
Leachate will continue to leach into the Waikato River. Authorities and locals seem OK with that and do nothing, head in sand stuff. This will come back and bite Tuakau for years to come!

Many audits have the same issues year after year and Envirofert do nothing about the recommendations from the council, and the council don't seem to follow it up.

What is the Waikato Regional Council going to do about these non-compliances?
Are they going to hit Envirofert with a wet bus ticket again? 20 years of non compliances????

We disagree fundamentally with rich urban city councils exporting their garbage problems to rural districts and thereby forcing those communities to bear the economic, environmental, and social costs of processing city and urban waste. 

Waikato Regional Council under fire!

Envirofert Ltd non-compliance AGAIN!

Tuakau and North Waikato's dirty little secret!

Tuakau residents that live under the wind shadow (2km) of Envirofert, for the last 19 years under ownership of Gary McGuire(Tuakau resident) and Andrew Bayly(MP for Hunua) have lost count of non-compliances, abatement notices, warnings, letter of directions issued from Waikato Regional Council. 
They have been fined, go back to what they were doing and give the one finger salute to the community and council. 
Envirofert have not worked to their consent conditions since 1999 and councils have not monitored.
They have failed Tuakau.

This decision by Waikato Regional Council is PATHETIC and WEAK, as usual!

Incredibly the company (which stands to make millions annually) is allowed to conduct the only environment study/report for approval!

Alan Copsey, the 'NEW' Envirofert GM???

Alan Copsey, another 'new' Envirofert General Manager.

Long time 'friend' of Gary McGuire, shareholder/owner of Envirofert. 

It looks like this is another 'dunna' and 'gunna' person to work for Envirofert!

Envirofert have been through so many people that claim to be experts at this and that.

Copsey was the development manager for the failed and fined EcoVersion that stock piled tyres at Frankton, Waihi, and Kawerau.

This cost Hamilton ratepayers $250,000 for the clean up bill.

 What offensive recycling operation has he got planned for Tuakau that could end up costing ratepayers??

 Where municipal councils have, for their own undisclosed reasons, allowed a composting facility (Envirofert in Tuakau) to exist too near a town, and this facility has continued to stink up the town and create breathing problems for residents through the circulation of mould, particulate matter and pathogens, then what is ENVIROFERT and COUNCIL going to do, that has been UNSUCCESSFUL WORLDWIDE, to stop our town (TUAKAU) from stinking and being a health risk?

Tuakau ProteinsLtd & Envirofert in Tuakau to relocate?

Tuakau Proteins Ltd next to a meat processing plant and Envirofert further away from residential homes. 

Is it time for the relocation of Tuakau Proteins Ltd rendering plant and Envirofert Composting/Clean?fill plant?

This year in August 2018 Tuakau Proteins Ltd in Lapwood Road, Tuakau, North Waikato the Discharge to Air consent expires.
There has been a rendering plant at this site since 1972.
Their neighbour Envirofert Composting/Clean?fill in River Road/Geraghtys Road, Tuakau, North Waikato has been operating since 1999.
Many of Envirofert's consents expire March/April 2019.
Over those years many, many complaints have been made to the monitoring councils.
Tuakau Borough, Franklin District, Auckland,Waikato District and Waikato Regional.

Complaints are made concerning odours, dust, smelly trucks, truck spillages on country and residential roads, and noise etc.

Rendering for 40+ years and composting/clean?fill for 19 years.

Tuakau residents that live in the wind shadow (approx 2-5 kms) of these odour producing facilities have had their quality of life, house and property values devalued for 40+ years.

Law states that a neighbour CANNOT cause adverse affects to their neighbours or not be able to use the property as others can.

This happens regularly and councils are well aware of this.

Councils seem to take the 'so-called' experts report as truth, these people do not ever live in the area of the report they are doing!

There are always going to be upgrades but nothing seems to be fixing these issues after 40+ years.

After 40+ years of broken promises from the facilities and councils, now is the time to relocate these facilities that will have no effect on the surrounding areas.

Putting a 1km 'separation distance' or 'buffer zone', that extends over private property, not owned by these odour producing facilities, recommended by Tonkin+Taylor report, will only restrict the land that is needed for much needed housing.

Two odour producing facilities are ruining Tuakau's development and restricting the use of the Waikato River. Water sport and cycleways, and walking tracks.

Tuakau Protein Ltd is on prime land next to Waikato River and before Envirofert began operating in 1999, Envirofert's land was a natural filter for stormwater, waterways and drainage from all of Tuakau to the Waikato River. 

Now it is a dump of illegal wastes and buried plasterboard that is leaching and draining into the Waikato River and onto neighbours land. Smells rank down by the river from Envirofert.

If these 2 odour producers are needed so much, or as reports call it 'national significance',then councils need to locate them to an area that does not have an affect or restrict neighbours quality of life.

Both facilities have reported that they are struggling for product!

Time to relocate these odour producing facilities and make Tuakau into the town it should be, putting 2 odorous plants in Business Zone (Tuakau Proteins soon to be industrial zone) and Rural Zone (Envirofert) so close to residential housing/sports grounds/schools/recreation areas does not make town planning sense? 

 TUAKAU or is it 'POOAKAU', this is putting many new residents off coming to live here.

Take control today or lose it for years tomorrow!

ENVIROFERT problems continue!

Titanic, who will be at work on Monday??

Ryan Marra, Envirofert's CEO, March 2017 has gone!
Garrick Ashford, Envirofert's new projects manager 2017 has gone!
Elenka Nikoloff, Envirofert's sales and technical advisor 2017 has gone!
Kim Willoughby,Envirofert director gone!


Watercare and  Envirofert investigation allegations of illegal waste disposal!
Odour issues!
Bund and drain not built to application plans!
Illegal burying of plasterboard, now leaching and smelling!
Numerous non-compliances over 18 years!

Management and staff huge turn over!

Marra had great plans and nothing has been done, again another year of odours and no improvements.

How long are the councils going to allow this badly run place and do nothing.

Residents have been complaining to Waikato District and Regional Councils for years about Envirofert's issues and the councils have played it all down.

Now is the time to fix this!

It is important that communities are listened to and that their voice is heard, particularly with local government boundaries more than parliamentary boundaries because you are talking very much about communities! 

Tuakau Proteins Ltd & Councils dishonesty again!

Tuakau Proteins Ltd in Lapwood Road, Tuakau has lodged for a replacement consent with Waikato Regional Council. The current consent expires in August 2018.

To view the consent application go to Waikato Regional Council website>menu>community>whats happening>in search box put Significant consent applications, hearings and decisions>under application detail available for viewing> Tuakau Proteins Ltd.

It is for 'Discharge to Air'. Another 25 years of living hell!
TPL have requested no public notification on this application.
A report is required by  Tuakau Proteins Ltd (TPL).
This report 'Tuakau Proteins Ltd Resource Consent Application and Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) was done by David Ray of Mitchell Daysh Ltd using some Golder and Tonkin+Taylor reports also.

Reports seem to have been done on a 2 day visit. This seems to have been done in August 2017 when TPL were operating on limited capacity. 
What happens on the other 363 days that TPL operate at full production, with no for warning of a site visit? We know as we live with the emissions! We have been told that the Bio filters(for removing odours) have never been replaced. Golder seems to say that offsite odours will be minor. David Ray from Mitchell Daysh seems to say that offsite odours will be less than minor. 
Only "AFFECTED PERSONS" that live WITHIN 1km of the site are going to be consulted.
This seems to be what Waikato Regional Council make their decisions on.
Reports paid for by the applicant, with the applicants in put. A burglars input on a security system would be more honest!
There could be NO hearing and NO submissions and NON notification!
This is typical of councils making decisions for residents without consulting.
This rendering plant under numerous owners for 40+ years have had Significant Non Compliances, and Tuakau is bombarded with putrid rendering odours.
How can the Council allow this?
Envirofert has consents that expire next year,2019, will they get the same from our councils, non-notification. Numerous non compliances, illegal dumping, illegal burying, illegal after hour dumping, dust drifting over Tuakau, (that could be asbestos), leachate odours and putrid rotten garbage odours. They are going to expand, more intense odours!
Councils promote robust and transparent consultation, have your say, we are listening, all this PR marketing crap is BS, they do not listen.
If councils actually took the time to get out of their institutional mentality and listened to the real world we might have a chance of fixing these wrongly placed odour producing facilities.
Years of odour complaints have been used against the complainant and so called experts that do not live with the odours, are writing misleading reports, that look and sound right and the council take their word, not doing any research of their own.

A copy of this report can be requested from WRC -0800800401, contact Ben Murphy, Tuakau Protein resource officer.

We disagree with some of this report, so therefore it needs to be discussed at a public hearing.

It looks like any affected persons living more than 1km from the site(TPL) is being discounted, eg meetings, no input to this report, no notification (even though TPL stated at last liaison meeting that all that was present would be informed). We have been to the liaison meetings for approximately 12 years and it looks like as we live 1.5kms away from this site we are to be excluded. David Ray(author of report)states that the odour we have is less than minor. Obviously and of course does not live here!
What right has he got to put that into a report, knowing that we are the main complainants, 27 years, done diary odour reports, and even Council has admitted, 'unfortunately it is where you live', NO, it is where you have allowed this putrid stinking operation, Tuakau 
Proteins Ltd.

The dishonesty that we see is that we have lived here for 27 years, we have had putrid rancid odours from that day (1991)until now that are still on going.  Original Consent said 'No smell beyond the boundary' in those days! Now it states 'No offensive or objectionable smell beyond the boundary' that has to be confirmed by a WRC resource officer that is 1 hour away. Now nobody living further than 1km can be consulted, only an invite from the odour producers you will be able to go to the liaison meetings. Of course then they know who you are and where you live. Again this is used against the residents. A lot of residents can't or won't go to these one sided meetings.

We went through the same thing with Lowe Corporation many years ago and were feed the same BS then as now, it made no difference to the odours. Same BS of upgrades, same reporters, (Golder) and TPL still stink! Report authors seem to copy other reports knowing that these odour producing facilities cannot operate without stinking out the affected persons, 5kms away!

Affected persons that live within 1km of the site(TPL) have either given up complaining to the council or been bought off????

I'm actually a very nice person-until you piss me off! 

Living with ADVERSE Affects near a composting facility in Howlong, Australia!

UPDATE: On Thursday 10 May 2018 the EPA in Australia rang Robyn Kelly (that was taking Panmure Compost to court in July) to inform her that they were not only revoking the permit for Panmure Compost to expand, they were also cancelling the existing licence. 

Panmure Compost admitted that they could not contain the smell and would not back themsives to the new $1.5 million dollar improvements and expansion.

So it looks like if you have an authority that have the balls to pull the pin on this type of operation IT CAN BE DONE! NZ EPA say it is not in their jurisdiction,and yet Australia EPA made the right decision. GO FIGURE

New Zealand obviously don't have the balls or admit these facilities are in the WRONG PLACE!

This is a copy of a letter to the editor that was published in ‘The Boston Mail’ in Howlong, Australia.

Robyn Kelly lives approximately 3 kms away from Statewide Waste in Panmure, Victoria, Australia. The community around this waste facility were not notified.
This situation seems very similar to ours here in Tuakau, North Waikato, NZ. We were not notified about Envirofert Composting when Waikato Regional Council gave Envirofert resource consent to take food waste to make into compost  in 2009, using a Tonkin+Taylor report that stated 'off-site odour would be low'. Fast forward to 2018 and we have had 9 years of horrific putrid odours when the wind is from S-NW. Sometimes when there is no wind, it just hangs in the air.

Robyn Kelly from Panmure, Victoria, Australia's letter:

While preparing dinner on the evening of August 29, 2017, I heard that there was breaking news.
Walking into the lounge I heard that a compost site had been approved for the town of Howlong.  I cannot write here how I felt hearing this. So let me clarify a couple of things. Firstly, I had never heard of Howlong and needed to Google it. Probably similar to the people of Howlong having never heard of the little township of Panmure near Warrnambool. Well we are about to have something in common. Welcome to the world of 24-hour rancid horrific stench. You have to live this life to believe it, and we are luckier than our two neighbours who live the closest to this horror.

We are dairy farmers (not anti or pro green, too busy to care really!) and have endured the stench for some five years, absolutely loathe to voice a complaint as being country people we just didn't want to make waves. We have seen families leave the district, seen beautiful Western Victoria farms totally worthless as no one could possibly buy them as you can't live with the smell. This means our wonderful little town loses school pupils, footballers, and all that enriches a country town. It is 
beyond awful.

So here is what you can expect. Stinging eyes, sore throats, no Christmases at your place (you just wouldn't do that to your family), the actual taste of the smell getting into your stomach and making you feel sick, a once per week semi load of dead poultry being dumped and the following few days will be indescribable, no hanging clothes on the line as the smell gets into them and into your home, no assistance from the EPA (environmental protection authority) as they want to be seen to be pro-green and composting makes them look good so you get no help there, trucks entering at all hours of the day and night regardless of operating hours and especially on public holidays! You will be told that only household organic waste and the likes will utilise the facility. Of course more contracts and deals are done with various companies and you won't know what is in the back of those trucks. Speaking of trucks they will be coming from all directions, that are loud, and in a hurry.

So, if you reside within three kilometres of your new compost site that I am sure was sold to you like a modern non-smelling facility that is almost built as a favour to you, well God help you. Oh and the people who are voting for this life-wrecking facility, would they have it in their street? Of course not. Shame on them, I can assure you your lives will never be the same. I am so very sorry for those affected. You will be stuck with it with no support and no help from anyone. This is something you would not wish on your worst enemy.

Robyn Kelly, Panmure

Envirofert in Tuakau owned, operated, shareholders, directors by Andrew Bayly, now Member of Parliament for Hunua, his twin brother Paul and Gary McGuire, Tuakau local. Government departments will not help, does not look good for government with Envirofert's many non-compliances. Waikato Regional and District Councils will not help as they gave Envirofert the right to operate. Councils do not like to think they have made a huge mistake by putting this and Tuakau Protein rendering plant (Envirofert's neighbour) by residential homes. Now Councils want to put a 1 km minimum  odour separation distance around these odour producing facilities. This extends over privately owned properties that existed long before these odour producing facilities. Council state that this will not restrict the existing residents. Who will want to buy, live, or open businesses with a odour zone over their property. You would have to be mad! Councils only seem to be considering new residents not the residents that have been here way before these two facilities. 
Tuakau could be a great tourist stop, Waikato River is stunning but who wants to live or play with the ever present horrific odours, many seagulls, dirty discharges into the Mighty Waikato River? This river could have walking tracks/bike tracks from Port Waikato to Taupo with many businesses for locals and tourists. But NO the NZ government and councils would rather put odour producing and dirty toxic discharges into the river. Go figure!