You can complain to the Wellington Regional Council online or by calling 0800 496 734
https://www.gw.govt.nz/your-council/contact-us/contact-form
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.