Money from Wairoa’s District Council’s silt and debris fund will be used to begin trucking waste from its landfill, which is near capacity, to Ōmarunui landfill near Napier. 

At this stage, there is no set date for the first load. However, Wairoa District Council chief executive Matt Lawson said $420,000 had been earmarked for the out-of-district transportation for removing silt and debris deposited into the Wairoa Landfill during Cyclone Gabrielle and would most likely happen after August. 

“After Cyclone Gabrielle, the Government provided $9.4 million through the Silt and Debris Fund. An additional $3 million was provided after the June 2024 flooding, giving a total of $12.4 million,” Lawson said. It had an expiry date of December 31, 2024. However, in the middle of December, with $6m still in the kitty, the deadline was extended to June 30, 2025. 

Wairoa faced two devastating weather events in just two years. The first, Cyclone Gabrielle, struck on February 14, 2023, followed by further flooding in June 2024, which saw water tear through the town. The weather events saw an influx of rubbish at its landfill, resulting in a request from the council for Hawke’s Bay to take 4,000 tonnes per annum of Wairoa’s solid waste for a period of up to three years. 

Members of the Ōmarunui Refuse Landfill Joint Committee, which includes representatives from Hastings and Napier District Councils and mana whenua, accepted the request in September, 2024. At the time Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said council was “over the moon” and thankful to the work of the committee as it would help the region as it continued to recover. 

Lawson said the silt and debris funding, which has been further extended, had been pivotal in assisting the district’s recovery. “We are extremely grateful to Central Government for recognising our needs and providing this vital support,” he said. 

The money had been used to remove silt from under homes and buildings, impacted septic tanks, the Wairoa wastewater pond and the Awatere Stream. Funds also purchased the infrastructure required to transport waste out of the district, cap the former landfill cell where silt was transported to (as required under consent), clear silt from drains, river reserve reinstatement at multiple sites along the Wairoa River and the future transportation of 3000 tonnes of general waste out of the district. 

Just over $11.4 million of the total funds have been spent. Lawson said around $500,000 will be used for projects held up because of wet weather. Ōmarunui Landfill is the largest landfill in Hawke’s Bay and services both the Napier and Hastings councils. 

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.