A public meeting at Te Puna Hall tonight is aiming at stir up action against the regional council's decision to stop funding community sewerage schemes.

Residents, particularly those in Te Puna west, are concerned at the mixed messages coming out of the council.

The meeting will take place at Te Puna Hall at 7pm this evening. Photo: R.Bell.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been urged by the regional council to make a call on Te Puna sewerage by December 1 this year. The regional council long term plan, however, is suggesting a three-year moratorium on funding sewerage schemes – except for those at the lakes and Matata.

'For them not to support Te Puna west is simply not acceptable,” says Te Puna Heartlands chairman Richard Comyn.

'It's a local issue for both the regional council and the Western Bay and we are concerned as a group that the regional council long term plan is proposing a moratorium on infrastructure spend.

'What we are saying is ‘we think you should be making a contribution from your infrastructure fund for Te Puna west'.”

It's an issue that both councils have failed to act on for about 15 years, says Richard. Houses that complied when they were built have been left behind by changing rules.

'In some of the houses, no system will work,” says Richard. 'Some of the section sizes haven't got any land drains. Some are so low that, at high tide, you cannot flush your toilet because they are at sea level.

'At the moment, there is a lot of E. coli hitting Tauranga harbour. This is an environmental issue. When this problem started the name for the council was Environment Bay of Plenty. The ‘E' stood for environment, not education.

'The council is spending $40 million on a tertiary institute in Tauranga. We are saying the ‘E' should be for environment. They have the money.”

Te Puna Heartlands' meeting is at Te Puna Hall at 7pm tonight. They are expecting to hear information regarding costs from district and regional council sources for the first time.

It's looking likely that about 143 properties are facing reticulation onto the Omokoroa sewer, says Richard. And they have no idea what sort of costs they are facing.

Heartlands has called a meeting because the long term council plan has come out and submissions close on Friday week.

'That is why we are trying to engage with the local community in becoming pro-active,” adds Richard.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was put on notice in Heartland's submission to the regional council in August last year.

The submission reminded the council of its responsibilities and of its claims regarding the ecological importance of the Tauranga Harbour margins.