Minute of Environment Judge Newhook

I have today (28 September) conducted a follow-up settlement conference to the one I conducted in Invercargill on 9 September.

Removal of the ouvea pre-mix material continues from the Mataura buildings, but the parties are strongly engaged in urgently speeding up the process. New sites have been identified away from Mataura and other residential areas, and the commercial, central government and local government parties are involved in logistical and contractual details to this end. Given the numbers of parties involved, and the complexities of the material and the hoped-for operations, a little time is needed to bring these things together. The parties remain focussed on the urgency of the situation however.

I have called two further conferences for 9 and 14 October and directed activities to be undertaken meantime by the parties for discussion in those conferences.

L J Newhook

Alternate Environment Judge.