Tuakau Structure Plan

                         Tuakau Structure Plan

   or should this be Tuakau Destruction Plan or POOAKAU potential odour zones?

 Report by Tonkin+Taylor for Waikato District Council 2015

Assessment of Air Quality Effects and Separation Distances

UPDATE: RECEIVED THE TUAKAU PROTEINS DISCUSSION FORUM MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON 3 APRIL 2017.

Under the District Plan Heading  resident asked 'if the odours are contained and improving why are 'you guys' (tuakau protein) controlling what we can do with our property? This resident was told by WDC planner concerning the Tuakau Structure Plan, that the restriction on subdivision was because of the two businesses (Envirofert and Tuakau Proteins) who control  the whole of the south of Tuakau and they don't want people to move in because of the reverse sensitivity issue.

So, to the people in Tuakau that have bought land, house or property in the vicinity of these odour producing facilities, the council has just shit on you. To subdivide your land, sell your existing property you will now have odour zones on your Certificate of Title, restricting the potential buyers. For the people that bought here way before these two odour producing facilities you have now potentially lost huge dollar value of your land. These two odour producing facilities have resource consents that are monitored by the councils (excuse me for laughing, he he he) Consent condition "NO ODOUR BEYOND THE BOUNDARY" and now these smelly businesses are asking for 1km MINIMUM of recommended air quality separation distance from residential homes. Tuakau Proteins area under many owners, has been operating for approximately 40+ years, Envirofert started with "land-farming" in 1998 by Gary McGuire (Tuakau local), who boasted around town, 'you get a consent to do A and then when you get the consent you do A,B,C,D..........X,Y,Z. 


This report (picture above) was done by Tonkin+Taylor for Waikato District Council, dated August 2015,  because a number of industrial and infrastructure activities have the potential to discharge dust and/or odour in the Tuakau area.
If you live within these circles Tuakau Protein and Envirofert Composting are looking at introducing 'reverse sensitivity' or 'buffer zone' within these circles. Strange as Envirofert are NOT in the Tuakau Structure Plan but can still put odour buffer zones on existing properties? surely that is illegal?
Tuakau Proteins rendering plant (under 1 year) previously Graeme Lowe Waikato/Waikato By-Products and Envirofert (1999 clean?fill & 8 years of food waste composting) have requested this. Brinks in Ryders Road has numerous complaints and T+T report states that WRC said they have no complaints. Really! not what the locals say, or is this an area that does not want a  potential 'odour zone' put on the plans that could affect property values/potential buyers to their properties?? 
Tuakau Proteins plant has been a rendering plant for 40+ years under many different names. 40+ years of putrid rendering odours, trucks smelling, trucks dropping loads, discharge water to the Waikato River that could be contaminated, smells of dead animals, fish, and all the smells that go with rendering plants.
Envirofert composting/clean?fill/food destruction/smelly leachate ponds, odours many indescribable, food waste and destruction of food/ fat recovery are like having a open rotten garbage bin on your property any time, any duration.
Tuakau Proteins rendering plant circle is in purple and extends over many properties.
Envirofert composting plant is in the yellow circle and extends over properties and land which may be developed into housing. The circle around Envirofert is incorrect as anywhere within their boundary is a potential odour zone not just from the composting area.
Composting, Fonterras depackaging shed, leachate ponds, irrigation of leachate on to their land,buried whiteboard that when wet gives off hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell).
Now they want an extra kilometre, minimum, and encroach onto your land, saying that the community is stopping them from expanding their operations. 
What about them encroaching onto our lands and stopping us from expanding??
The councils seem to encourage this! Listening to the facilities and not the community that live around these odour producing facilities. Non-notifiable changes are made regularly!
Tonkin+Taylor did a report for Envirofert, Odour assessment for 74 Geraghtys Road, Tuakau, in 2009 for Envirofert because of a S127 change to a resource consent allowing Envirofert to take food waste for compost.
It stated then....while the existing separation distance at the site is less than the recommended separation distance (800m vs 1,000m), the separation distance guidelines are only designed to be a quick and easy assessment tool for identifying the potential for odours from an individual site and when met, they indicate odour assessment would typically not be required. Therefore, the guideline confirms that the preparation of a site specific odour assessment for the site was appropriate. Yeah right! another report from so-called experts that do not have to live with the putrid odours! Do a report and walk away and the councils just tick the relevant box!
Summary: (of the report)The proposed works involve the addition of a food waste composting facility at the existing composting site. ........provided the procedures listed in the SMP (site management plan) are adequately implemented it is considered that the potential for off-site adverse odour effects is LOW.

LOW! LOW! Not when you are living with putrid rotten food waste odours, even LOW odours get into washing, curtains, furnishings and ruin your quality of life. Envirofert composting has emitted putrid, rotten food waste odours since 2009 over Tuakau and surrounding area and it is definitely not LOW and Tuakau Proteins rendering plant odours also affect the use of properties causing adverse effects.

Now after many years of reports and now a new one from Tonkin+Taylor 2015 (surely this is a conflict of interest when they did the original report for Envirofert in 2009), Envirofert and Tuakau Protein want to encroach their odours even further onto neighbouring properties.
What happened to the off site odour effects would be LOW in 2009, was that a lie!!!
Home and landowners will be restricted by only certain people that would buy the land and houses because of having a 'potential odour zone' on council plans.
Immediately you lose on your property values, limit the potential buyers.
Tuakau could end up with residents not caring about their living conditions that will affect the long term residents.
Homeowners and landowners that have bought many years ago now find the council and these odour producing facilities wanting to extend a 1000 metre buffer zone from their odorous activities and encroach onto private neighbouring  properties restricting the owners.
This is not reverse sensitivity but a misdirected resource consent approval by the 'so-called experts'. These facilities should not be there or have outgrown their activities and properties.
The home and landowners are described as 'sensitive' by the 'so-called experts', councils and the odour producing facilities.
Original Resource Consents were issued by the Franklin/Waikato Councils with the condition that 'no objectionable or offensive odour beyond the (facility) boundary', and now the odour producing facilities want to encroach way over their boundaries into neighbouring properties who are going to lose on property values and quality of life.
Written in the New Zealand Journal of Environmental Law is.....'The condition is placed in a covenant or easement and registered on the certificate of title, ensuring successors in title have specific notice of requirement, and are bound by it.'
So when you want to sell your house/land, and the lawyer does a search of the title it will have that your house/land in an odour zone!
If these odour producing facilities owned the complete air quality separation distance, i.e the complete circle in diagram, and then sold on the land for other purposes this would be acceptable. People that purchase the land that falls within the circle then have the knowledge of the 'odour zone' but to put these restrictions on neighbouring properties that have been in this area way before these odour producing facilities is MORALLY WRONG and THEFT of the biggest asset in many people's lives.
This requirement of having a potential 'odour zone' when selling your property is already being applied, and this is before Tuakau Structure Plan submissions have even been seen by 'independent' commissioners.
Surely this sets a precedent that all residents will have this 'odour zone' on the councils plans?? and council has taken the odour producing facilities request and applied it!
Is this legal or honest?

This email was sent to Jenny Simpson from Tonkin+Taylor who did the report for Waikato District Council,Jane McCartney and David Totman planners of Waikato District Council, Nick Smith Ministry of Environment, and Paula Bennett Ministry of Local Government.
Not one of them had the decency to reply. 

Time will inevitably uncover dishonesty and lies, history has no place for them!












My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what is really going on to be scared. P.J. Plauger.

Envirofert Plans 1999-BARKER & ASSOCIATES/TILSLEY ASSOCIATES

Envirofert Plans 1999-Barker & Associates-Planning Consultancy and Tilsley Associates-Engineering Services were responsible for this plan that was presented at Enviroferts application hearing for a clean fill in Tuakau (1999) and was approved and signed off by the Commissioners and Franklin District now Waikato District Council and Environment Waikato now Waikato Regional Council. Paperwork and consents relate to this plan TUAKAU COO2/Revision 5.Councils have changed to suit wrong locations.

Prior to the cleanfill being established, this boundary was flat and all water drained towards the Mighty Waikato River. Envirofert was given the right by councils to put a bund on the boundary which has basically put a dam there and now the neighbours land is flooding. This was pointed out to the commissioners at the hearing in a submission by the neighbours. Councils failed to monitor that Envirofert had built the bund in the wrong location and build the Envirofert drain at the base of the bund for runoff.

This plan is very clear as to where the drain and bund was to be built. 
The boundary is the line with long strokes with 2 short strokes, the drain is the dotted line (marked 'existing clean water drains') exiting from the neighbours and entering Enviroferts property.
A 7 metre wide access strip was for maintenance. This was not done by Envirofert owners, Gary McGuire (local) and Andrew Bayly (now MP for Hunua).

Had the drain and bund been built in the approved place and been built to the engineering specifications that Tilsley Associates designed it for and was to oversee the construction, it would be doing its job, instead it is built on and over the boundary with no drain.Draining into neighbours drain.

Councils failed to monitor this also. Councils failed to make sure Gary McGuire built the bund and drain in the approved plan location.

Now Envirofert say they have a letter from Barker & Associates to say there was a 'draft error on the plan'.
There was no error on the plan, this was signed off at the hearing by the 2 Councils  (Waikato District & Waikato Regional)and Envirofert.
What has been built on the ground is the ERROR, built and owned by Gary McGuire (no engineering  qualifications 1999-2013) and Andrew Bayly(now Member of Parliament for Hunua) and was to be overseen by Robert Tilsley from Tilsley Associates in Pukekohe.
Gary McGuire built the bund in the wrong location. Robert Tilsley did no engineering reports on the drain or bund construction.The plan is very clear as to how this drain and bund was to be constructed.

The latest is that Envirofert has additional information that is with their solicitors being reviewed. Both councils have admitted that Tuakau COO2-Revision 5 is the plan that was signed off by the authorities.

 This clearly shows on the approved and signed off plan that there were 5 Revisions of Tuakau/C002 done and the reasons for them.
Envirofert clean?fill has been built to NONE of these Revisions.

The resource consent that was issued by Environment Waikato now Waikato Regional Council #102301 states Activity Authorised: Divert the drain that flows westwards across the cleanfill site so that it flows south along an existing drain. As this was a consent before the cleanfill was operating, the drain used to go through the proposed cleanfill, when the bund was to be built another drain was to be constructed to  take runoff from the bund
This explains that the drain diversion consent is for the exit point on the approved plan, as the above plan shows. This is the existing exit point before the clean?fill was operating, that went from the Dromgool property exit point and ran through the middle of the now existing clean?fill. Now the bund is built in the wrong place without the 7 metre setback for maintenance and the diversion of the drain that was not built to the approved plan as seen above on the plan 
The plan clearly shows that the exit point of the drain (part of the Franklin-Waikato Tuakau Swamp Drain Scheme)  leaves the neighbours boundary (middle of boundary) enters Enviroferts boundary and then to follow around the 'new key bund' had the bund been built in the correct location. This drain was part of the Tuakau Drainage Scheme which Envirofert have dammed and now the neighbours land is flooded.The exit point for the drain that the councils and Envirofert call the 'drain diversion' and was built by Gary MCGuire (owner 1999-2013) who had no engineering qualifications, is about where the proposed site offices was planned on the plan above.As you can see on the plan there is no drain drawn for an exit point there, but the plan clearly shows the exit point of the existing drain that was to be used. 
The bund is built on the boundary and in some places over, so no room for a drain to be constructed in Enviroferts property. Drainage from the clean fill and bund now drains onto the neighbours property and Waikato Regional Council even changed the height of the bund and cleanfill in 2010. No engineering reports were done even though the cleanfill original engineering reports are for 2.5 metres for the height. This is extra height and weight on swamp land. 
When are the councils going to admit to all their mistakes and fix this huge mistake by Envirofert, instead of wasting ratepayers money?
Fix it now before the pollution, contamination and the flooding of the neighbours property gets even worse and in years to come will become an environmental disaster!
Because the councils failed to monitor Envirofert and Envirofert did not build the clean?fill to plan they are all running for cover and blaming each other.

COMPOST IS DRIVEN BY PROFIT MARGINS!

Living Earth Composting facility in Christchurch NZ

Living Earth Composting Facility in Christchurch New Zealand operated by Christchurch City Council and owned by Beijing Capital.

Beijing Capital is an investment arm of the Communist Chinese Government Bei Jing China.

This is a residents description of living with this 'silent killers' pollution and the councils attitude to residents.

The Christchurch City Councils Composting plant at 4 Metro Place, Bromley.

In 2002 the then Government of New Zealand led by Helen Clark made a commitment to reduce the waste stream by launching NZ waste strategy to minimise & manage waste.

In 2009 the Christchurch City Council, under the leadership of a Mark Christison from the Waste & Water department, led the charge to implement this strategy.

The Christchurch City Council(CCC) introduced a three bin waste system to cover general rubbish,recyclable waste and green waste.
The most complicated aspect was related to the green waste collection of food /garden waste & then taken to the composting plant situated at 4 Metro Place in an industrial zone but only 300 metres from residential zones.

If you Google 'Bio Waste Down Under' you can read the set up of the composting plant located just off Dyres Road (a major arterial route) in the suburb of Bromley. The system was praised & was trumpeted far & wide as the best thing since sliced bread.

The CCC commissioned Living Earth to construct & set up the composting operation (because they didn't have a clue what to do) & it was commissioned in March 1999. It was claimed at the time as being the largest & most sophisticated composting operation in Australasia. Yeah right!
It is unfortunate that the powers that be who claim to be experts in such operations had not done their homework, in fact know very little as it has transpired, about the end results of the composting process. 

For 6 years at time of writing, the residents in the wind shadow of this operation, which has been foisted upon them without consultation and honest advice, have had nothing but problems since this silent killer started making compost. I say silent killer because no matter which way the wind is blowing or not in some cases, someone somewhere is getting hit with black dust and offensive odours, which contain pathogens & bioaerosols. It does not matter which time of the day or night, rain, hail or shine this plant gives off offensive odour & black dust which is affecting resident's health, lifestyles & living standards.

The Helen Clark government at the time in 2002 had every good intention to be a responsible government, but no one foresaw the problems and risk to human life these composting operations would generate.

The CCC hold the consents to operate the composting plant which are issued by Environment Canterbury (ECAN).
Living Earth is the selected operator who we must presume won the contract by fair means to make the compost.
ECAN(regional council) gets more complaints per month through their pollution hotline on this killer of a plant than the rest of the complaints on other operations put together. Complaints are made from residents and businesses in the area of the wind shadow of this lethal operation on a daily basis but with no satisfaction of a fix.

The consent also states that every 3 months the residents, CCC, ECAN, Living Earth and  other affected organisations have a liaison meeting which is held at the Living Earth complex at 4 Metro Place. Usually the 3rd Tuesday of February, May, August & November.
Initially this liaison meeting was chaired & minuted  by the Living Earth management even though it was not their place to do so. It was not until November 2013 that an independent paid chairman was appointed along with a professional minute taker. The reason for the changes being that Living Earth management were deleting content that affected their operations and or complaints from the official minutes. (I wonder why they would do that!). These liaison meetings actually are a waste of time & achieve nothing & no one is held responsible, no one has any authority to ensure things happen or are attended to,  so as to look important & they just sit there & do not contribute positively or at all. They are professional meeting people who like to add such to their resumes.

The main problem is the odour from the windrows of composted materials that is exposed to natures elements and they need to be turned regularly if not daily. If the windrows were covered, and or taken off site away from residential properties then there would be no issue.  ECAN are failing miserably in their endeavours & responsibilities to log & prosecute the daily breaches of consents by the operating company, Living Earth, on behalf of CCC.

The offensive odour is generated by the addition of food waste such as meat, fish, dairy and processed foods put into the green bins by the residents. Why this is not realised by the so called experts at the Waste Water of the CCC and the Unliving Earth Composting Company, God only knows. They proclaimed to be the experts in such matters, yet have unleashed this monster of a silent killer on many people.

This plant affects the suburbs of Bromley, Brookhaven, Mt Pleasant, Ferrymead, Woolston, Linwood, New Brighton, & South Brighton. There would be in excess of 3000 homes involved not to mention the hundreds of businesses & factories. 10,000 plus people are affected by this killer of a monster composting operation that is putting pathogens & bioaerosols into the environment for us all to be affected.

The dust is so great that in 2012 one resident had his roof repainted under a guarantee from the manufacturing company. The tradesmen repainted the roof & before it could dry it was covered in composting dust particles. It was cheaper for the manufacturer to replace the roof than to rub it down to & repaint & risk the same happening a second time.
We breathe this dust into our lungs on a daily basis. Our homes are covered in black dust & you only have to look at the guttering to understand the extent.

The odour is the greatest problem. It invades our homes, is in our clothes, our hair, we cannot enjoy our properties, like the garden or to have BBQ's or to even invite friends over, such is the embarrassment & unpleasantness from the killer composting plant.

Businesses suffer, for example at the Caltex fuel station on Dyres Road I have seen people pull up get out of their car, sniff the air, screw up their faces, then get back into their car & drive off without refuelling. It was so bad one day, unbeknown, I went round to fill a gas bottle & was told upon my return home to strip my clothes off in the garage & don't bring the smell into the house. If we have our washing on the line all day we generally have to bring it in & rewash it.

In the middle of the night I have been woken up gasping for breath the intensity of the offensive smell was so great.

The most frustrating aspect of this whole dilemma is the lack of cooperation, respect & help to stop this killer of a composting operation sending dust & odour into our homes & bodies.
It is fixable. We have told the powers that be what will fix it but it seems to be water off a ducks back.We have spoken personally with the CEO of CCC but have yet to get a response and or a plan of what they intend to do to curtail the offensive smell & dust problems.
Our Mayor is in denial, she has been asked numerous times if we can meet her but she refuses. 
The chairman of CCC Infrastructure & Environment has also emphatically said NO to a meeting with us, yet has given other residents with traffic light problems an airing.
Councillors at CCC generally do to seem to want to help our predicament that was foisted upon our living conditions affecting our health & lifestyles.
The head of CCC Waste Water has told me to 'suck it up', the odour is pleasant & the operation is for the betterment of the whole city.
At a recent liaison meeting after asking CCC what plan they had to eliminate the offensive odour we were responded with, screamed at, rudely spoken to, or treated with silence, not something that you would expect from handsomely paid executives of a council organisation that has the responsibilities to spend money (rates) wisely, or fix problems so that our lives are not in danger.
  Someone must be held responsible for the situation that residents in the wind shadow of these silent killer plants find themselves in. I certainly would not like to be in their shoes when crunch day comes!

After reading this well written and informative article about the silent killer plant, Living Earth, in Christchurch it was as though it had been written about us in Tuakau under the wind shadow of Envirofert Composting plant.
The only slight difference is our local councillors have done NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to help us. Our Mayor has done NOTHING also.

GARY MCGUIRE FAILS AGAIN! CAN"T WORK TO RULES!

1998: A letter was presented to councils in 1998 about the concerns a group of residents had about Gary McGuire's failures to work to rules, after Gary McGuire approached the councils to operate a clean?fill ENVIROFERT in 1999 after he had started a green waste operation in 1998. One year later and the community and residents had these concerns and the council did not listen and learn from them.

Excerpts from this letter:

Lack of monitoring and strict controls from councils.

Green waste operation had not kept with the management plan.

Hours of operation restrictions have been breached.

Lawn mowing contractor regularly dumped green waste after hours.

Non green waste had been dumped on the site.

Green waste was stored for long periods attracting fly and odour problems.

Dust problems from the road was reported to Environment Waikato.

On going issues for neighbours about rubbish entering their properties.

" With this track record it would appear that the applicant has no intention to comply too conditions and rules unless continuously forced to, and we are concerned that there are inadequate monitoring procedures in place. 

If there is inadequate monitoring, and if breaches of conditions occur as has happened in the greenwaste operation presently run by this company on this property, we fear that this cleanfill, has the potential for serious environmental damage." 

1998-2013 Gary McGuire was owner and operator of Envirofert and many issues from Envirofert have raised their heads, bund, drain and environmental issues. Drain diversion and bund location plans were presented at the joint hearing in 1999 and Gary McGuire owner and operator of Envirofert chose not to build drain and bund to plans and councils failed the community by not monitoring. Environmental and flooding issues are now a problem.

Gary McGuire still has 40% shareholding in Envirofert.  

Sacked from St Johns as a volunteer???

This is the same Gary Peter McGuire that owned and operated (1999-2013)  Envirofert composting, clean?fill, green waste, food depacking and destruction in River Road, Tuakau.

McGuire seems to have problems working to specific rules and regulations.

He also had problems working to Enviroferts resource consent conditions with many issues arising during his ownership and also have been revealed since his departure.

No boundary survey done. Bund and drain not built to council's approved plan. Engineering reports very limited that were done by Tilsley Associates. Bund built on boundary instead of 7+ metres boundary setback for maintenance and drain. Clean?fill drains into neighbours farm drain. Cannot drain a consented site onto a non-consented site. No engineering reports for the construction of clean?fill bund. Is this built safely or could it collapse? No-one will admit this! Reports not done! Where were the councils in all this? Councils are employed by ratepayers to protect the communities against these environmental issues happening!


Read this article from Waikato Times 12/3/15
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/67257124/Support-for-sacked-ambulance-man 
 Gary McGuire was not reinstated.

Read this article that was in the Waikato Times, New Zealand 23/06/2015- This is the man that supported Gary McGuire??? Make your own mind up! 

www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/69553510/Bankrupt-businessman-Richard-Gee-cleared-for-community-board-position

Sometimes the thoughts in my head get so bored they go out for a stroll through my mouth-this is rarely a good thing!

ODOUR PROBLEMS FROM Envirofert & Tuakau Proteins.

Phone 0800 800 401 for odour complaints. 24/7.

Councils allow these facilities to operate with dodgy resource consent. The intent of the said resource consents is valid but the facilities & councils soon change conditions to get around the many complaints usually on a non-notifying basis. Every complaint is potentially used against the complainant. Most, if not all residents around these facilities regard the councils as being there to protect them. This is DEFINITELY not the case. They are there for the applicant of the resource consents. The real problem lies with the councils who employ so many misguided and unqualified people to authority.
Councils try to write off these smells as rural but these are not rural smells. Usually with waste there are pests, rats, mouse etc, this brings all sorts of other things to this issue. We have noticed an increase in the rodent population.......coincidence maybe??
These facilities say they are spending huge amounts of dollars on their plants and if it fails are they prepared to abandon their projects......doubt it!
We agree with these facilities in principle but this is an issue that needs to be dealt with differently, not the way they have been operating. NOT when it causes many people in the surrounding area to be prisoners in their own homes due to poor air quality.
The rancid smells started. It was foul & disgusting stench. As we sit in our living room or deck the smell is strong & persuasive & enters every room in the house, we get angry. We want to know why we have to put up with the assault from Envirofert composting or Tuakau Proteins rendering operation. How can you allow 2 non-conforming resource consented facilities to ruin the lives of the people of Tuakau. The faceless authorities, the local councillors do nothing. Our quality of air is controlled by the so called 'experts' and the workers at these facilities. As they do not seem to have respect for their fellow human beings our air quality is polluted.
The abatement, infringement notices do nothing. These facilities continue to breach their resource consent conditions. SO obviously the only incentive is to cut the revenue stream by stopping all compost, clean?fill and rendering operations.
You don't have to remind me to fill out, email or phone in an odour complaint  to the council as we do this on a regular basis but realise it can't be done every five minutes when the rancid smell chokes us. This isn't a single instance for these operators who make mistakes but an ongoing operation that couldn't care less about the quality of the people in the surrounding areas.
When will the people of Tuakau be able to enjoy their properties, to be able to sit outside and not want to retch?
Whatever right Envirofert & Tuakau Protein may have to operate their businesses, it cannot, indeed must not be at the expense of clean healthy air for the residents in this area. We too have rights to have clean air & enjoyment of our properties that we have worked damned hard to get.
It is well & good that Envirofert & Tuakau Proteins is looking for the most effective operations for the processing of their waste but at the same time essentially asking the residents of Tuakau & surrounding areas to subsidise this program by putting up with the daily stench which makes enjoyment of the outdoors virtually impossible, through effects on health, and no less important property values.
These facilities worldwide have always had odour & associated problems and the authorities have done no research other than signing off a report paid for by the applicant. Even though the current locations & technology is not working the councils keep changing, reviewing and issuing new resource consents.
Green waste has minimal smell but raw & cooked food waste has a noxious odour which unless a significant amount of money is spent on ENCLOSED vessels or sheds, not a building with ventilation, odours CANNOT be controlled. Composting food waste is manageable but does have more tendency to cause odours and attract rodents, especially if animal parts are involved. Trying to compost mixed garbage IS always a disaster!
Prevailing winds are from the south & west pushing odours over significant properties. Waikato councils like other government bodies involved in these 'green initiatives' did not consult with anyone in the area, did not review technology to ensure that it is effective and have completely ignored information.
We cannot & will not speak for the whole community but we can speak for our own family.
We are subjected to various degrees of odours and pollutants.
Throat infections, persistent coughs, sinus infections are some of the health issues we suffer.
These facilities are sited in the midst of farmland, residences, few kms away from primary school, so many people get exposed to this foul air.
For the councils to allow these facilities to operate, learning the pitfalls of rendering and composting at the discomfort of the community is WRONG!
Composting sites release odour, methane gases, carbon dioxide and attract vermin, seagulls, rats. 'Hot composting' have also at times been associated with pathogens such as e.coli.

Tuakau is fast becoming POOACOW!

Tuakau Proteins & Envirofert is stinking out Tuakau! Tuakau is fast becoming Pooacow! Councils, mayors, councillors do nothing. Phone 0800 800 401 odour complaints 24/7.

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

Since the change of management at Tuakau Proteins Ltd in Lapwood Road, Tuakau, North Waikato we have had putrid rancid meat odours daily when the wind is in their direction. The new general manager, Stephen Dahlenburg owner of Kakariki Proteins, might think that this odour is acceptable at his plant but it is not acceptable in Tuakau. We have had many years of not many odours from Graeme Lowe Waikato now Tuakau Proteins Ltd. With these new management positions and change of many owners we have now returned to the 'bad old days'. With the forum meeting on Monday 9 2015 at Tuakau Town Hall at 7.00 pm this could be very lively and heated. This facility under many names has been operating for 40+ years and the surrounding areas have been protesting about their many issues. Tim Clark from 'Out of Court' manages these forums at the town hall and has been involved for 5 years and states that..... 'to date it has been an effective method keeping the community informed and continuing improvements at the site. Well after 40+ years this facility as I have mentioned before under many names, management, council resource consent officers, trucking companies, odour assessments, noise quality assessments have NOT improved one bit. 

Envirofert composting are also smelling out Tuakau with putrid anaerobic composting odours. Smells dead animal, rotten food, burning and rich compost.

Resource consent conditions are changed to accommodate the applicant's 'whims' to the detriment of their neighbours! 

ENVIROFERT NOT BUILT TO APPROVED 1999 PLANS!

Envirofert clean?fill bund built over boundary and not to approved councils plan! Waikato Regional and District Council both agree that the bund and drain has not been built to the approved plan and is built partly over  the neighbours land. Legal ramifications???? Can these properties be sold?? Who would want these problems on both properties? Clean?fill dodgy, no drain, neighbours unusable and possibly contaminated land!

Mike Lord-Envirofart (Envirofert)- Is this history repeating itself? 2006 to now!

Could Mike Lord go the same way with Envirofart and sell to a council or like Living Earth composting that has been sold to the Chinese!

This article in 2006 seems to a true indication of Mike Lord working at a compost facility. This is like a carbon copy of what he has done since being at Envirofert food waste composting/clean?fill,Fonterra food destruction shed facility in Tuakau. He came boasting he was an 'expert' in composting and we have had exactly the same problems as in this article from 2006 in Tauranga when he worked for Perry Environmental (Perry Resources). 3 years he has been at Envirofert and we are still having odours that fill our homes with putrid food waste like in this article and he is blaming everyone else as he did then.

Sniffing out Te Maunga's pong!    < Read the article.


Te Maunga was sold by Perry's to Tauranga City Council and is leased & operated by Envirowaste. They still have odour issues! Did Andrew Bayly employ Mike Lord to do the same with Envirofert, sell to Auckland or Hamilton City Councils/Waikato District/Regional Councils and get Envirowaste to operate it. This does seem to be the way these people operate??
Envirofert is starting to look alot like Te Maunga even calling themselves resource recovery. Waikato/Auckland/Tauranga are looking for resource recovery facilities to dump their wastes. Is Envirofert one of these? More waste more smells! Phone 0800 800 402 odour complaint line 24/7.

2016-What a surprise, Mike Lord CEO of Envirofert is now working for ENVIRONZ (Envirowaste)-Central Regions Manager-Post Collection at Hampton Downs Tip. Could this mean more waste from Auckland/Hamilton and Tauranga being transported to Tuakau and emitting putrid odours over Tuakau? What do you think?? 2019-update to Mike Lord's many jobs, Hampton Downs is now doing the same composting operation as Envirofert in Tuakau. The difference is the prisoners at Springhill are being considered about odours where as in Tuakau, we are not????

Composting, like everything else, has to be done right. Done wrong, it can stink, cause air and water pollution, drive neighbours out of their homes!