Auckland Council waste management specialists have spent time with colleagues in Tonga as part of the Pacific Technical Assistance programme (PacificTA).
Auckland Council’s Manager of Closed Landfills, John Seward, undertook a scoping activity at Tapuhia Waste Management Facility, the PacificTA’s newest partner. The landfill is halfway through its life, with a new cell currently under construction. The aim of the partnership is to support lifting operational capability at the Facility, and to identify best fit opportunities over the short to long term. The overall aim is to minimize environmental impact and maximize capacity in the landfill.
John said that a significant aspect of the visit was observing the value of shared knowledge and experience in identifying issues and increasing clarity around viable options.
“Many of the issues Tonga faces are similar to New Zealand and I came away with a very real and raw sense of the challenges we (humans) face with respect to managing our waste in a manner that our future generations will thank us for.”
Next month, Brent Aitkin, Taupō District Council’s Environmental Impacts Manager, will travel to Tonga to look at specific operational and remedial management opportunities to support Tapuhia Waste Management Facility to improve their landfill operations. Taupō Broadlands Road Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre is of a similar scale to Tapuhia.
The PacificTA is an MFaT-funded programme that provides for the exchange of expertise and knowledge between councils in New Zealand and Pacific partners.
We work with our colleagues at Pacific Island councils to support the running of public services including environmental management, infrastructure and asset management, town planning, and public health and safety programmes such as dog control and disaster management.
The PacificTA programme is an opportunity for New Zealand local government experts to work collaboratively with Pacific Island managers, and an example of what can be achieved when practitioners work together towards a common community goal.
Photo caption: John Seward from Auckland Council observes works at the Tapuhia site with WAL’s Operations Manager Charlynn Lautaha.