Obstacles to the development of sewage treatment : the case of Wellington City

Abstract

Since the 1950s the government has introduced a number of statutes to control water pollution in New Zealand. Despite this many towns and cities still have inadequate sewage treatment, or no sewage treatment at all. This situation appears to arise because of the substantial amount of time which local authorities spend 'planning' for the development of treatment facilities.

To understand why this occurs this report considers the development of sewage treatment in Wellington City, addressing both the influence of national sewage policy, as well as the City Council's own policy on sewage treatment. The findings of the report can be grouped into three categories. Firstly, both at the national and local levels, delays in sewage planning have occurred because sewage treatment has been a low priority. Secondly, sewage planning has been delayed by a lack of effective legislative mechanisms which might have been used to compel the City Council to develop treatment. Finally, between 1984 and 1989, sewage planning was delayed by poor communications between the Council and the other parties involved in the sewage treatment issue.