Sewage spill stinks of double standards

Mayor Andrew Little called it an environmental disaster, and Wellingtonians have been told it could be months before the south coast waters are swimmable again.

This is a major stuff-up, but one question keeps coming back to me: will those responsible be held to the same standards we demand of Kiwi farmers?

As farmers, we’re no strangers to regulation. Our businesses must comply with strict environmental rules, and we know there are consequences for non-compliance.

Breaches can carry hefty fines, legal action, reputational damage – and in some cases, a criminal conviction against a farmer’s name for life.

We take this seriously, as we should, because farmers have a responsibility to protect waterways and communities.

But is what we’re seeing in Wellington a glaring example of a double standard in environmental accountability?

If a dairy farmer had pumped raw effluent into a local waterway, even by accident, there’d be no debate.

Resource consent conditions would have been breached, immediate investigations would follow, and criminal charges would likely be laid.

So, will we see the same scrutiny of large, publicly managed infrastructure?

Will the manager of the wastewater treatment plant be held personally responsible?

Will Wellington’s mayor, councillors or chief executive be held accountable for long-term underinvestment in critical water infrastructure?

Will there be enforcement action against the council or contractors involved?

It’s fair to assume the answer will probably be a resounding no – or at least, not in a timely or visible way.

I commend Nick Leggett for resigning as chair of Wellington Water following the sewage crisis. He’s done the right thing, but real accountability shouldn’t stop with one resignation when the failure runs far deeper.

Andrew Little has called for an independent inquiry, which is promising, but I highly doubt we’ll see any individuals held to account.

Much was made of The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai being the three waters regulator, which includes wastewater.

The Three Waters Review raised system-wide concerns about whether the regulatory regime was fit for purpose.

Taumata Arowai was presented as a key part of the fix, yet they’ve been strangely silent throughout this debacle, effectively saying: ‘It’s not our job’.

They say it’s Greater Wellington Regional Council’s (GWRC) role to be the primary regulator when it comes to wastewater overflows or breaches of wastewater consents.

That means it’s GWRC’s job to take enforcement action, but the council is a one-sixth shareholder in Wellington Water, the company responsible for the discharge.  

That seems like self-regulation to me and doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence.

Let me be clear: this isn’t about farmers versus councils. It’s about fairness and consistency.

If we’re going to demand one sector follows strict rules under threat of penalties, those standards must apply to everyone.

Anything less erodes trust in our environmental system.

There are plenty of cases where individual farm employers or managers have been prosecuted for breaches of resource consent or environmental regulations, when the consent is in the name of a company. That same logic should apply here.

If a publicly managed facility can discharge untreated sewage – millions of litres a day, for an extended period – without consequence, what message does that send? That the rules are good for some, but not for all?

It also raises serious questions about advocacy and media coverage.

Activist groups usually quick to criticise farmers for environmental missteps because it suits their political narrative have been notably quiet.

Greenpeace, for example, haven’t said a thing about the millions of litres of untreated human waste flowing into the ocean each day in Wellington.

Yet they somehow found time to vandalise a salmon statue in Rakaia this week while ranting and raving about the evils of the dairy sector.

Why the silence? Because this disaster doesn’t align with their preferred villains.

New Zealanders care about clean water, and so do farmers.

We work hard every day to meet our obligations, often under challenging conditions, knowing the consequences of failure are real and enforceable.

But accountability must be universal; environmental laws and consent conditions can’t be selectively enforced.

If we want the public to trust that environmental protections are fair and effective, we must apply the same standards to all operators – farm or council, private or public.

The Wellington sewage spill is a clear reminder that environmental stewardship is everyone’s responsibility.

Farmers are already doing our part – but we also expect the same of every other sector.

Karl Dean is Federated Farmers dairy chair