Marsden Point Refinery: A Resource Consent Application to Renew 20 Resource Consents from the Northland Regional Council Prepared for: ChanceryGreen on behalf of The New Zealand Refining Company Limited, trading as ‘Refining NZ’ Prepared by: Gavin Kemble, Director Bridgette Munro, Chairperson Blair McLean, Senior Planner George Sariak, Planner Date Finalised: July 2020 Volume 1: Assessment of Environmental Effects Report 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY 6 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 11 1.1 Report Contents .................................................................11 1.2 The Applicant & the Marsden Point Oil Refinery ...........................11 1.3 The Site ...........................................................................13 1.4 The Proposal ................................................................... 17 1.5 Resource Consents Required 18 1.6 Assessment Framework .........................................................23 1.7 Summary of Investigations Undertaken ......................................23 1.8 Resource Consent Lapse Period ...............................................24 1.9 Term of Resource Consent .....................................................24 2.0 THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ....................................................... 25 2.1 Refining NZ’s Existing Resource Consents ...................................25 2.2 The Permitted Baseline 26 2.3 The Environmental Baseline 26 3.0 THE PROPOSAL ........................................................................ 87 3.1 Refining Operations .............................................................87 3.2 Coastal Structures and Operations ...........................................89 3.3 Surface Water Related Matters ...............................................92 3.4 Discharges to Air ................................................................97 3.5 Ground Matters ..................................................................98 3.6 Land Farming and Solid Waste Disposal .................................... 100 3.7 Maintenance Activities ....................................................... 100 3.8 Alternatives Assessment ..................................................... 101 4.0 ASSESSMENT OF ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 105 4.1 Introduction .................................................................... 105 4.2 Landscape, Visual and Natural Character Effects ........................ 105 4.3 Groundwater & Land Contamination Effects .............................. 113 4.4 Air Quality Effects ............................................................ 117 4.5 Water Quality / Water Chemistry Effects ................................. 124 4.6 Marine Ecology Effects ....................................................... 127 4.7 Avifauna Ecology Effects ..................................................... 131 4.8 Marine Mammal Ecology Effects ............................................ 132 4.9 Terrestrial Ecology Effects ................................................... 136 4.10 Human Health Effects ........................................................ 141 4.11 Archaeological & Historic Heritage Effects ................................ 143 4.12 Cultural Effects ................................................................ 143 4.13 Economic Effects .............................................................. 149 4.14 Recreation and Tourism Effects ............................................. 155 4.15 Social Effects .................................................................. 156 4.16 Positive Effects ................................................................ 158 5.0 CONSULTATION ... 160 5.1 General Approach 160 5.2 Tangata Whenua Consultation 160 5.3 Feedback from Tangata Whenua on consultation 161 5.4 Consultation with Applicants for Customary Marine Title 161 5.5 Public Consultation 162 5.6 Stakeholder Group Consultation 162 5.7 Feedback from Public and Stakeholder Groups 163 1 5.8 Written Approvals 164 5.9 Further Consultation 165 6.0 STATUTORY PLANNING ASSESSMENT 166 6.1 What Resource Consents Are Required? 166 6.2 Statutory Criteria 169 6.3 Planning Instruments and 'Other Matters' 171 2 FIGURES Figure 1.2.1: National Distribution of Refined Fuels from Refining NZ Figure 1.3.1: The Site and its Surrounding Geographic Environment Figure 1.3.2: The Site and Jetty based at Marsden Point at the entrance to Whangārei Harbour - Whangārei Te Rerenga Parāoa Figure 1.3.3: Schematic / Layout of the Site Figure 1.3.1.1: The Refinery and its Development Figure 2.3.1.9.1: Soil Types of the Manaia and Waipu Ecological Districts (South) Figure 2.3.1.9.2: Soil Types of the Manaia and Waipu Ecological Districts (North East) Figure 2.3.2.2.1: Three-dimensional view of terrain looking East- Northeast from the Site. Mount Mania is the tall mountain rising on the left side of the image. Overlaid on the image is the wind rose for 2011 and 2012 Figure 2.3.5.1: Map showing a large proportion of Whangārei Harbour as a Significant Ecological Area Figure 2.3.7.3.1: The distribution of Department of Conservation (DoC) reported sightings (1978–2018) and strandings (1869–2018) between Bay of Islands and the Northern entrance of the Hauraki Gulf Figure 2.3.8.2.1: Operative Northland Regional Policy Statement map showing areas of Outstanding Natural Character (orange), High Natural Character (green) & Outstanding Natural Landscapes (horizontal green stripes framed by a mauve border) Figure 2.3.10.1: Distribution of Archaeological Sites Figure 2.3.11.7.1: Approximate Location of the Pakikaikutu Coastal Statutory Area (PCSA) adapted from Whangārei District Council (2020) SAK.2 Statutory Acknowledgement for Ngāti Pūkenga Figure 2.3.11.7.2: Treaty Settlement Statutory Acknowledgment Areas in the Northland Region Figure 2.3.11.10.1: Patuharakeke Sites of Significance Overlay Figure 2.3.12.1: Recreation Activity – High Use Areas Figure 2.3.12.2: Recreation Activity – Moderate Use Areas Figure 3.1.1: Schematic of the Products Generated by the Refinery Figure 3.1.2: Schematic of the Refinery’s Processes Figure 3.1.3.1: Layout of the Refinery Figure 3.3.2.1: Layout of the Biotreater Figure 3.3.2.2: Layout of the AOC Figure 3.5.1.1: Location of the Existing Abstraction Wells Figure 4.4.2.1: Predicted 1-hour average SO2 GLCs due to flare emissions varying by gas flow rate to flare Figure 4.9.1: Simplified diagram of the ecological effects caused by nitrogen and sulphur air pollution Figure 4.12.1.4.1: Gas flow rates to the fare, 2017 to 2019 inclusive. Redlines and text annotate the percentile gas flow rates to the flare 3 ANNEXURES Annexure One: Northland Regional Council Application Forms Annexure Two: Certificates of Title Annexure Three: Technical Reports a) Brown, S. Brown NZ Ltd, Marsden Point Refinery Re-Consenting Project – Landscape Assessment. Dated June 2020 b) Chilton, R. Tonkin & Taylor Limited, Air Quality Assessment. Dated June 2020 c) Clement, Dr D. Cawthron Institute Limited, Marsden Point Refinery Re-consenting: Marine Mammal Assessment of Effects. Dated June 2020 d) Clough, Dr R. Clough and Associates Limited, Archaeological Historic Heritage chapter of the CSP-AEE, addresses the archaeological and historic heritage values that exist in close proximity to the Site and is based on a technical report prepared for the CSP-AEE. Dated July 2017 e) Clough, P. NZIER, The Value of Consent Renewal- Economic Assessment of Reconsenting Discharges and Structures at the Marsden Point Refinery. Dated July 2020 f) De Luca, Dr S., and Ross, Dr P., Boffa Miskell, Assessment of Effects on Marine Ecological Values- Reconsenting of discharges and structures in the CMA. Dated July 2020 g) Don, G. Bioresearches Limited, Coastal Bird Assessment. Dated June 2020 h) Greenaway, R. Greenaway & Associates Limited, Recreation and Tourism chapter of the CSP-AEE, addresses the recreation and tourism values that exist in close proximity to the Site and is based on a technical report prepared for the CSP-AEE. Dated July 2017 i) Schiess, S. and Simpson, C. Tonkin & Taylor Limited, Hydrogeological Conceptual Site Model for the Marsden Point Refinery. Dated July 2020 j) Kelly, Dr F. Environmental Medicine Limited, Health Effects Assessment prepared for Refining NZ. Dated July 2020 k) Kemble, G. Ryder Consulting Limited, Refining NZ Crude Shipping Project Proposed Deepening and Realigning of the Whangārei Harbour Entrance and Approaches AEE. Dated August 2017 l) Martin, Dr T., and Reaburn, J. Wildlands Limited, Assessment of Ecological Effects for Air 4 Discharges from the Marsden Point Oil Refinery. Dated June 2020 m) Stewart, Dr M. Streamlined Environmental Limited, A Water Quality Assessment at Marsden Point Oil Refinery to Inform Resource Consent Renewal Applications. Dated July 2020 n) Thomson, J. New Zealand Refining Company Limited. Refining NZ Reconsenting Project- Alternatives Assessment. Draft for Internal Circulation. Dated July 2020 Annexure Four: Key Resource Consents granted by Whangārei District Council and Northland Regional Council for the operation of the Refinery Annexure Five: Cultural Effects Assessment Annexure Six: Collated Written Letters of Approval Annexure Seven: List of Parties Consulted, Materials utilised for Consultation and Record of Consultation Annexure Eight: New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement Cited Provisions Annexure Nine: National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management Cited Provisions Annexure Ten: Northland Regional Policy