On this page we will present a list of Frequently Asked Questions
This section contains a range of the questions that we’ve heard asked. It’s not all authorities, some of it is opinion (and we hope it’s reasonably balanced to help you form you inform your views).
What is actually causing the stench right now?
As at December 1, 2024, all that we really know is that a stench is coming from the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Where exactly in the plant is hard to tell. The biology of the plant has broken down. Normally, the aerobic process of treatment should reduce stench but right now that process has failed. It’s caused by a number of issues, the dryer being off line, causing a back up of material in the plant, which we understand has resulted in failure of the biological processes.
How bad is the smell?
In the view of community advocates from Christchurch who lived through the worst of it in Bromley, it’s not as bad as Christchurch had it but it’s still not acceptable.
Humans are clean by nature, so we work hard to make sure we don’t live in stench.
The stench affects some people more than others. How you react to it can also be impacted by emotion. In Christchurch they’ve had 3 major sources of stench, the burnt down waste water treatment plant, and organics processing plant that failed to deliver to expectation and the general smell from the estray.
Knowing that the stench is coming from human waste can impact how you feel about it.
When will it go away?
The stench will improve as the health of the plant improves and odour control improvements are brought on line. The health of the plant will improve as the back log of sludge is cleared and any back log of effluent is cleared. Exactly how long this is going to take is anyone’s guess right now. Wellington Water tell us that they’re working on it as fast as they can (which of course they would say).
On the positive side, we have seen them work to figure out creative ways to speed up the process to clear sludge back log. We have seen that they’re working to deliver improvements as they uncover unexpected issues, such as the extra work that was done to the biofilter.
What’s the point of a consent if it’s not followed?
In this case, in our view, a consent is ‘a target’ that is ‘ideal’. It should be a high bar, and in this case it is a high bar that is questionably unrealistic.
It goes without saying that it’s a reasonable expectation that human waste is processed without causing impact on industrial, commercial and residential areas.
Sadly, processing waste is not an exact science, unlike maintaining speed while you’re driving. Human factors, such as the volumes of waste coming to the plant every day, come into play, the weather, and unexpected equipment failure all come into play.
Why doesn’t the Regional Council prosecute?
The law is a very high bar. It’s designed to address people who would cause harm on purpose, generally for commercial gain or spite. For example a farmer who knowingly pollutes a river because they’re running more cows than had been planned but can see money in their bank account.
A problem with the law as it stands at present is that it is a criminal case (meaning people can go to jail) and targets the wrong offenders in the case of WWT plants.
The CEO of the owning council can be held personally liable for the breach, as it is understood by the writer, but they don’t have control. Elected members and the public impact choices that are made over decades that could leave a CEO the target of choices they didn’t make but have to clean up.
The bar for prosecution is purposeful negligence. In this case that cannot be shown, less proven. The CEOs of all the organizations have made many steps to attempt to avoid the current situation including recommendations to elected members for huge budgets for plant improvements.
Why is H2S monitoring important?
H2S gas is a good indicator of the level of the problem. It’s also important to understand if the WWTP is ‘not’ the ‘current’ problem. An issue in the community is that the WWTP issues don’t become a mask that allow other industries to loose sight of their obligations.
Tracking, graphing and reporting of measuring is also important to show the community the levels of problems and allow them to see that problems have been addressed and aren’t persistent all the time.
How is the plant so run down?
Infrastructure can be run in many ways and there are many considerations. It’s quite normal to run plant out, knowing that it’s more cost effective to run a replacement program than a high cost maintenance program.
Authorities can have different priorities and those can be driven by many things. For example in Lower Hutt the recent earthquakes have drawn more attention to the earthquake resilience of some assets such as local swimming pools (which are important for many social reasons).
The skill of your local people can also impact the perception of what needs to be a priority. A balance between being particle and alarmist also has to be found.
Contracts play a big part in how things are managed and terms of a contract are not always easy to change and the need to change is not easy to predict. Managers write contracts in good faith. Contractors accept work in good faith. Some times we have to accept that events happen that throw the wheels off the bus and then we have to react, but we also have to react within the law.
For example, in the case of the Seaview Waste Water Treatment plant some people would have liked to see funding for work delivered faster, however council has a legal obligation to work within the Long Term Planning process. Others will argue that LTP constraints can be set aside, and they can, however that process can take longer than simply working through the process.
Different experts often don’t agree. History has shown us that many times in New Zealand. Some times a person who is not ‘an expert’ knows the answer and is correct however it’s not reasonable to accept that advice in the face of someone who is qualified.
These issues put elected members in an impossible position, so some times we simply have to wait for things to break and then react as quickly as possible.
Some people question why more planning for these events wasn’t done. That planning is ideal but also costs money and there are no assurances that the planning will actually be required. No one want so pay for expensive work that is then not used.
Is there enough money to fix it?
The short answer is ‘yes’. The longer answer is that there is enough money budgeted right now to fill up a program of work to address the current obvious problems and until that work is complete it’s hard to judge what else might be required.
How do I complain?
The best way to raise your complaint is via the Wellington Regional Council. However sending your local elected members a polite email expressing your concern is sensible.
Is complaining worthwhile?
Yes. But you don’t need to go over board. Not complaining suggests to the authorities that the stench is not impacting residents so they have no mandate to accelerate improvements.
Complaints are counted and recorded. Complaint numbers empower urgency. Urgency costs money. A balance has to be found between acting with urgency and the cost of responding. If you don’t complain then their is no mandate to push forward faster, so making a complaint has value.
There is the old ‘triangle’. You can do things fast, well and cheap. Pick any two.
Is everyone impacted in the same way?
No. Not everyone is impacted by stench the say way. Some people have a very adverse reaction to stench while others don’t. There is also a different reaction over time. If you’re visiting a location to ‘sniff test it’ your reaction can be quite different to someone who is ‘living in it’ and building up intolerance over time.
Considering these points starts to explain why H2S monitoring is important so that authorities can see the emersion over time.
It’s simply not possible to know how different people are reacting. Some ‘suffer in silence’ while others become alarmists.
The knowledge that what your smelling is ‘human waste’ does have a phycological impact. Knowing that a stench is coming from a compost plant or just natural decade in an estray (which is what Christchurch deals with).
From a mental health point of view, people have to think about the balance between reality and anxiety. Consider these questions. Is the stench bothering you or are you being wound up by others?
In Christchurch, after the earthquakes, we talked a lot about the impact of the media and social media groups. Was the ground shaking bothering you as much as all the talking that the media were doing. People were encouraged to switch off from time to time.
How can I look after myself and my family?
If the stench is getting inside your home, consider getting a carbon based air filter. Get away. Plan some time away from your home or work. Work from home for a day a week, plan a dinner or trip out of the impacted area. Make plans, so you know you have something to look forward to.
Don’t be drawn into dwelling on the problem and raising your own anxiety.
Avoid media articles that have click bait designed to draw in readers but aren’t providing good information.
Get informed. You’ve read this FAQ, consider it with maturity. Consider if the information is actually useful or is just alarming you.
Know that good people are working to fix the problems as quickly as possible.
Will the stench impact the value of my home in Seaview?
High level analysis of rating data in Christchurch suggests the answer is ‘no’. In fact it can improve the value of your home.
Buyers are always looking for a deal. The market perception is that they may get one, and also the perception is that the current problems will get solved, they did in Christchurch, they will in Lower Hutt.
Informed buyers understand that buying close to an industrial area comes with some risk. Right now that risk is showing up.
Try to remember that some people are more sensitive than others to the stench. If you are selling, don’t assume that there won’t be buyers, there will.
Some people looked at buying in Bromley for investment understanding that there are tenants out there who will rent because they don’t feel the impacts as highly as others.
As with any property purchase, don’t be alarmist, that costs money.
Who is to blame?
In some ways, we’re all to blame. We’ve all taken our eyes off the ball because the plant has functioned reasonably well for a long time and it’s dropped from our concerns.
It’s normal to look for someone to blame. It’s normal to now want to accept any of the responsibility.
We know from the public meeting at the end of November 2024, that the plant operator has dropped the ball in some respects.
However they took over the plant in good faith. There will be reasonable assumptions that they made based on their experience that have not born out. At this point they don’t appear to have lawyered up to deflect blame but have accepted their part in what is just a poor situation.
The councils have done a reasonable job at juggling the balance between investment and caution. They have also accepted that they haven’t got that balance quite right and have pledge the funding required to make significant improvements.
Wellington Water has replaced it’s CEO. The board has clearly accepted that some mistakes have been made and now a change of guard is required. That change has only just happened and it will take some time for improvement to bleed through.
Who should do more?
Everyone. This is going to be a long road. The public meeting in November 2024 highlighted the fact that this problem is not going to magically go away with a silver bullet. Mistakes have been made and now it’s going to take time to correct them.
We all need to keep an eye on this. Keep pressure on the media to ask strong questions, follow the story and report back with meaningful articles that inform and not just alarm to draw in readers from around the world.
We all need to do a little part to hold the people accountable who are being paid by you to make this problem go away. Many hands make light work.
We all need to make sure we look after each other. Check in with friends and family in the area and make sure they are getting the support they need. Weather that be a quick chat (or not, focusing on other things to pull peoples minds away from the stench), a cup of coffee, a break away from the area.
Will an election help?
The problems become political quickly. Next year there will be a council election. There will be people grandstanding that they could do better at holding the officials to account. Your current elected members are already aware of that.
The reality is that this is a long term problem that is going to take terms of council and government to properly address.
We should focus on supporting the efforts of solutions and not just using this disaster as a leaver to hang political futures.
Should the government take over?
What would they do that isn’t already been done? The Hutt Valley has some of the top parliamentary representation in the country. Community advocates have been engaging with them, putting pressure on them for government intervention and attention.
Those members want to be re-elected in their areas, so they’re going to be paying attention too.
More engagement with environmental agencies needs to happen. Comment needs to be sort if there is a public desire for government to take a more active role.
Is a new dryer going to fix the problems?
No. It’s only going to add to improving the problems. Yes a new dryer is at least 4 years away at this stage.
It will be the combination of many improvements that will resolve the stench problem. This is why $225 million has been planned over 10 years.
Just getting the plant biology back to where it should be will make a significant difference.
Why didn’t the biofilter upgrade fix everything like we thought we were told?
There was a bit of over expectation in that program. Wellington Water did publish information a year ago that set a reasonable expectation however the media didn’t pick up on it well.
The filter also doesn’t manage plant maintenance well. When parts of the plant are shut down to be maintained the biofilter ‘dies back’. It is a biological process. The plant operator has been quite open about their concerns that this is not the best technology but this is the technology that we currently have.
Long term a better solution might have to be considered. However there are other low hanging fruit to pick that are already in the pipeline.
Can I rent my house out?
Yes. Not everyone is impacted by the stench the same way. While finding a tenant may be a bit harder, if the price is right then people will look at moving into the area.
Should I sell up and move?
That is the million dollar question that only you can answer. You have to be realistic. You have to understand that moving can be done quickly. Renting out is an option. The plant, on the other hand, is going to take time to fix and most of it can’t be made to happen faster.
Can I get compensation?
There is no plan currently for any compensation. In Christchurch when the Bromley plant burned down the council did provide a very small amount to help support the community ($200 per house hold). Not everyone took it. There was huge debate about is.
Residents understood that any compensation is paid for eventually by themselves as rate payers.
There was public concern about pushing large amounts of compensation into the economy and if such money would be spent well.
Is there a court or class action I can join?
Not at present. In Christchurch, two legal groups sprung up to ask this question. A number of advocates meet with lawyers. Class actions come with risk. The residents who take the action can end up loosing and carrying the costs. Some advocates didn’t feel this was a wise risk against a council with very deep public pockets and a track record of using them.
Why don’t my friends and neighbours seem to care?
They do care, but many people understand that it’s important not to be to drawn in. Others simply don’t feel the same impacts, so they worry less. Some have more trust in public authority than others, to just fix the problem. But you’re also right, some just don’t care. They are just happy to accept life as it has evolved, as frustrating as that can sometimes be.
Does Wellington Water need a new CEO?
No, it just got one. Pat also has extensive experience in the community engagement aspect of this problem. He did the community response report for CCC. He is well regarded and is making improvements in Wellington Water, however he is only just new into the job.
Does the Hutt Council need a new CEO?
No, it’s just reappointed it’s CEO. Sewerage treatment is only one aspect that the CEO has some responsibility over. She has a team under her with more focus.
In Christchurch, some advocates were very keen to keep both the CEO and head of three waters while the core problems were solved. Both have since left.
Calling for heads to roll is a kiwi tradition but it’s not wise in this case. It takes time for a new CEO to get up to speed, to build relationships and trust. Right now focus needs to be on just getting work done that has already been agreed on.
Waste water treatment is not the only role of the CEO. A new CEO might be better at it than this one, who knows, but they may not be as good at other things that are also important. So calling to de-stable everything else is not wise.
Can we just fire the contractor?
No. Right now Wellington Water doesn’t have a robust plan b. It doesn’t have an asset management system but it does have a number of plant problems.
The contractor is a company with good resources, a problem is that not enough of those resources have been deployed in the area, they have already pledge to address that.