Waitaha does not believe Ngai Tahu can protect its cultural and spiritual values in the Waiareka Valley which would be lost if a cement plant and its associated quarries were built, the Environment Court has been told.
Waitaha does not want a cement plant built in the Waiareka Valley, but "senses there is an inevitability of it proceeding", a Waitaha descendant, Kenneth McAnergney, told the Environment Court on Thursday.
Building a cement plant, quarries and coal mine in the Waiareka Valley should be neither surprising nor unexpected, counsel for the Otago Regional and Waitaki District Councils, Alastair Logan, told the Environment Court.
Waitaha and Ngai Tahu are at odds over consultation with Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd about plans for a new cement plant in the Waiareka Valley, North Otago.
A new cement plant near Weston will bring social and economic benefits for the Waitaki district but could also cause problems that need to be managed, the Environment Court has been told.
Legal counsel have been asked by the Environment Court to tidy up evidence they will present at a hearing into appeals against a proposal by Holcim (New Zealand) Limited to build a cement plant near Weston.
Support for building a cement plant in the Waiareka Valley was voiced this week by a long-time North Otago resident, whose family connections with the valley date back 130 years.
Tourism in North Otago is unlikely to be affected by a cement plant planned for the Waiareka Valley, University of Otago communication studies professor, Geoff Kearsley, believes.
The establishment of a $300 million cement plant near Oamaru was its most viable option, Holcim told an Environment Court hearing at Oamaru District Court today.
Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd has rejected an accusation it is trying to buy community and Ngai Tahu support for the company's proposed cement plant near Weston.
A new $300 million cement plant near Weston could be producing cement as early as the end of 2012 if Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd gets the necessary resource consents and decides to build it.
If the Environment Court upheld resource consents then Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd chief executive Jeremy Smith would most likely recommend the $300 million plant near Weston be built.
"A classic Nimby case," is how Holcim (NZ) counsel Mark Christensen yesterday described to the Environment Court an appeal against a proposal for a $300 million cement plant, coal mine, sand and limestone quarries in the Waiareka Valley near Oamaru.
Proposals to build a $200 million cement plant near Weston and a 23-section residential subdivision in Oamaru will come before the Environment Court on April 28 at a pre-hearing conference in Oamaru.
Weston residents have come out fighting to defend their lifestyle from OnTrack reopening the Waiareka to Weston branch railway line to transport cement if Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd builds its $300 million cement plant near their town.
The resource consents process for the $200 million cement plant proposed by Holcim (New Zealand), near Weston, is being researched by University of Otago student Ngaio Fletcher to see if people feel their voice has been heard.
Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd says the cost of building a cement plant near Oamaru could be $300 million, $100 million more than its estimate in 2005.
OnTrack deliberately retained ownership of the Waiareka-Weston branch railway line for possible use by a cement plant at Weston, its southern service manager, Neil Campbell, said yesterday.
Reopening the Waiareka branch railway line, a vital component of the proposed $200 million Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd cement plant near Weston, will come under scrutiny at a Waitaki District Council resource consent hearing lasting three days from May 21.
Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd would not recommend its parent company invest in a new $200 million cement plant near Weston
