Although its aims are ‘up in the air’, a new environmental agreement appears well grounded.
Twenty-nine businesses in the Mount Maunganui industrial zone have pledged to take further action to improve their environmental footprint by signing an Environmental Accord. Among other issues, air quality is on the agenda.
“We all want to see more progress made across the board to support the community and businesses to have a healthy coexistence,” Nigel Tutt from economic development agency, Priority One, confirmed.
“It will take a collaborative effort, including with local and central government, to improve our environmental impacts. We need our councils to keep supporting this work with action, including supporting decarbonisation initiatives and implementing buffer zones, so businesses can get this right for our community and industry.”
The accord requires businesses to keep one another accountable in implementing up to five actions each over the next three years to improve environmental impacts.
Due to population growth, a decrease in the size of a buffer due between industrial and residential zones in the Mount Maunganui Industrial Area has been a particular cause for concern. Residents have expressed worries about traffic congestion, air pollution and odour.
Supplemented by Priority One’s Mount Maunganui Industrial Blueprint, the accord aims to improve environmental outcomes in the vicinity of the Port of Tauranga.
“Businesses are there because they need to be. They either use the port themselves or support associated, nearby businesses and industry,” Tutt explains. “Being close by plays a role in limiting congestion on the roads, as well as reducing some transport emissions. We expect to work on these emissions collaboratively with councils, businesses, and the community.”
According to the Blueprint, 83 per cent of large organisations surveyed acknowledge improving their environmental impact as important and 93% in the area with higher impacts are investing in equipment or upgrading facilities along these lines.
Businesses in the Mount Maunganui Industrial Area operate under strict regulatory conditions based on national guidelines with conditions enforced locally by Bay of Plenty Regional Council. In addition, some have their own on-site air quality monitors and many are also investing in other technology to reduce their emissions, Tutt adds.
“We have identified organisations that are either major or have air discharge consents as the most appropriate to lead this accord and we expect to take it to the wider business community with the knowledge that these businesses have pledged improvements.”
One of the region’s largest organisations is already taking steps toward the accord. Port of Tauranga has increased wharf sweeping, installed traffic control barriers, improved cargo handling procedures, developed custom dust suppression systems and installed wind fences to reduce dust.
“As one of the many businesses in the Mount Maunganui industrial area, Port of Tauranga takes air quality very seriously,” the port’s chief executive, Leonard Sampson, confirms. “We have invested heavily in reducing dust from port activities and will keep doing this work to continue the trend of improving air quality.”
Similarly, Allied Asphalt Limited has been laying the groundwork to reduce environmental impact.
“Before signing on, we and many other businesses had already been investing in initiatives to improve our environmental footprint, such as upgrading our onsite stormwater treatment system in line with best practice so as to ensure that our stormwater is fit to discharge into the harbour,” the company’s Dale Eastham said. “However, the accord is another step we at Allied Asphalt are choosing to take as part of our commitment.”
For more information visit www.priorityone.co.nz and search ‘Environmental Accord’ and ‘Industrial Blueprint’.
