Category: Environment

Many people with a septic tank on their property won’t have thought about whether or not it poses a drowning risk. 

However, the tragic death of a three-year-old in Australia – and a similar case in Whanganui just months earlier – have highlighted the potential dangers of onsite wastewater systems.

Preventing tragedies

A Coroner’s report into the drowning of Nihal Hundal in Victoria in 2023 describes how the lid on a septic tank easily dislodged, and he fell in while playing.

The report notes that while these types of drownings are rare, Nihal was one of three children who died in septic tanks in Australia over 18 months.

Local service professionals and our resource management officers sometimes come across lids that are insecure or broken – and in need of replacement.

Resource management technical lead Jessica Newlands said broken lids are commonly seen with the older style concrete tanks. Often, the homeowner is not even aware of the location of the septic tank.

“We want to see tanks complying with regional rules and resource consents but we also want to prevent such tragedies here in our region.” 

Checking your septic tank system

Water New Zealand, which represents councils and other groups from the water management industry, has submitted Standards Australia’s proposal to mandate the installation of fixed security grates in septic tank openings in Australia and New Zealand. You can read the submission here.

The organisation’s technical lead, Lesley Smith, encourages everyone with an onsite wastewater system on their property to check access-point lids to ensure they’re secure.

Another opportunity to check for any safety issues is when maintenance and sludge removal is being carried out. This should be only done by a suitably qualified professional.

As Lesley points out, awareness is key.

“If all septic tank owners could take just a minute to check their lids are fixed securely, that could go a long way to preventing another tragedy.”

Read more in this brochure about the broader steps homeowners should be taking to ensure their onsite wastewater system is properly managed – helping protect the environment and their family’s health. 

Current rules

As stated by Water New Zealand, onsite wastewater management services are required to meet best practice engineering standards and council rules to mitigate the risks to humans, stock and the environment. 

Regional councils administer rules for the discharge from wastewater systems under the Resource Management Act, while district and city councils administer rules under the Building Act.

In Canterbury, a resource consent is required for onsite wastewater systems, unless the property owner can comply with the Permitted Activity rules in the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan. These rules apply to any existing, modified, upgraded or new system.

Our website has more information on the

rules for operating an onsite wastewater system. 

Black Cat and Metro’s new Diamond Harbour ferry, Black Pearl, has begun its operations.

Two events, one for the community and another for officials, were held this month to celebrate the ferry’s launch.

The vessel can carry up to 95 customers, almost double the capacity of the other Diamond Harbour ferry, Black Diamond, which will now be used as the reserve ferry.

With a 15 per cent increase in passenger trips from 135,000 in the 2022-2023 financial year to just over 155,000 in the 2023-2024 financial year, the ferry’s additional capacity will come in handy. 

Planning, challenges, and community impact

The new ferry has been years in the making.

Black Cat chief executive Paul Milligan said it’s taken a lot of planning and careful design.

“We are very pleased to have the Black Pearl in operation. It was special to celebrate its launch with the community and key partners and stakeholders – they all play such an important part in our service,” he said.

“A real highlight of having this new ferry is its capacity. It will allow for greater accessibility for customers, including those with prams or bikes,” he added.

The ferry’s journey to the water wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“We are relieved to have the ferry in service after the initial build of it was delayed due to COVID-19 and the normal teething issues one might expect with a new boat,” Paul added.

Environment Canterbury Councillor Vicky Southworth says she is excited to have the new ferry in operation.

“It’s amazing to see after years of hard work and planning. I know having this extra, bigger vessel available will be appreciated by the community,” she said.

The ferry was built locally by Icon Custom Boats in Rangiora. 

Ferry service details

There are more than 290 scheduled ferry trips each week, 215 of these on weekdays, ensuring a consistent service between Lyttelton and Diamond Harbour.

The timetable and prices for the service will remain the same – these can both be viewed here.  

The Banks Peninsula water zone committee recently dedicated $58,000 of their annual $75,000 Action Plan budget to Whakaora ai te wai o Te Pātaka – a collaborative approach to catchment management for Wairewa/Lake Forsyth, leading to the establishment of the new Wairewa Mahinga Kai catchment group. 

Partnering together as mana whenua and neighbouring landowners, this community-led initiative is a great example of collaboration, focused on sustainable land use solutions, improving water quality, and restoring mahinga kai values.

A lake in need of rejuvenation

Te Roto o Wairewa/Lake Forsyth is a shallow coastal lake on the southwest of Banks Peninsula, regarded as a nationally significant wetland area that was once abundant with aquatic plant and animal life.

However, modern environmental pressures have led to a severe decline in the state of the lake. 

Over the last 160 years, deforestation in this catchment has accelerated erosion and sediment loss, depositing an estimated 2 million cubic meters of sediment to the lake bottom.  

“Te Roto o Wairewa/Lake Forsyth and the wider catchment is highly nutrient enriched, meaning the lake is in a poor state of health,” says Surface Water Science Manager, Elaine Moriarty. 

“Water quality monitoring data from three sites around Te Roto o Wairewa/Lake Forsyth show high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen are present. These nutrients, in excess, act like pollutants causing regular algal blooms of toxic cyanobacteria that significantly impacting the lake’s ecosystem.”   

Read more about the current state of Te Roto o Wairewa.

Ambitious plans to restore Wairewa

The catchment group has ambitious plans to be an exemplar restoration project for Aotearoa. 

This mahi will build on the mahi of Wairewa Rūnanga to create a strategic catchment management plan that combines Mātauranga Māori and inter-generational landowner knowledge with the ecological and environmental sciences to better the catchment for future generations.

Building on the mahi of Rūnanga

Wairewa Rūnanga have already seen encouraging progress at Te Roto o Wairewa after investing in mahi to enhance the lake’s water quality. However, there is still a substantial amount of work to be done to rejuvenate the lake.

Improvements made thus far include significant works in the canal at the lake’s opening, as well as efforts to stabilise, reshape and revegetate the banks of the main tributaries. The intention behind these efforts has been to reduce the amount of phosphorus-rich sediment from flowing into the lake, therefore improving water quality and reducing the likelihood of flooding in Little River. 

To build on the strides made by Rūnanga, the Wairewa Mahinga Kai Catchment Group aims to continue the restoration work by taking a catchment-wide approach – first creating detailed landscape models that identify key problem areas – then deploying targeted interventions like bank stabilisation works, riparian planting, fence installation, and pest control where they’re needed most. The catchment group also receives support from Wai Connection – Tatai Ki Te Wai and New Zealand Landcare Trust.

“As a committee, we’re excited to see a group of proactive landowners and Rūnanga coming together to create a holistic remediation strategy for the Wairewa catchment to restore our local waterways,” said Gina Waibl, Chair of the Banks Peninsula Water Zone Committee.

“We look forward to seeing this grant build on the legacy and gains previously achieved by Wairewa Rūnanga and support the group in their efforts to create a more collaborative management approach for the Wairewa catchment.”

Banks Peninsula water zone committee 

The Banks Peninsula water zone committee is a joint committee of Christchurch City Council and us that works with the community to develop actions and tactics to deliver on the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. Water zone committees are made up of people with a wide range of interests in water who have a strong connection to the zone. 

Each year, the committee makes recommendations to Environment Canterbury to allocate funding for projects that support the implementation of their Action Plan.