To: Christchurch City Council

Don't Dump on the East: Stop the Ocean Outfall Bypass

WE WON. Council voted for aeration — NO ocean bypass pipe. No partially treated sewage dumped into the sea near New Brighton.

More aerators in the ponds means the smell gets tackled at the source. Better for residents. Better for the ocean. Better for kai moana.

Thank you to everyone who signed and shared. And to Councillor Yani Johanson and Councillor Celeste Donovan for holding the line in that chamber.

Ko te moana ko au. Ko au ko te moana.
Ko te iwi ko au. Ko au ko te iwi.

The ocean is me. The people are me. 🌊https://www.newsline.ccc.govt.nz/news/story/more-aeration-to-reduce-wastewater-treatment-plant-odour?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQ6tLFjbGNrBDq0qmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtKn2fvqaVPSlK3GajoN02YxXDoQ0ANg-7e7v-m578XEW4btVlLo8UfVKSYV_aem_uV7dSQ26aExnsUcysTnulg

To the Christchurch City Council

We, the residents of Bromley, the surrounding East side neighborhoods, and the wider Ōtautahi community, demand an immediate halt to the investigation into diverting partially treated wastewater through the ocean outfall.

Why this matters
The air quality from the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant is actively worsening, and the reality of the situation is reflected in the current abatement notice.
Instead of focusing all resources on an immediate, root-cause solution at the plant, the Council is investigating a "diversion" option that the community vehemently opposes. [1]

We are drawing a hard line:

No Ocean Dumping: We absolutely refuse to accept the dumping of partially treated wastewater into our ocean as a band-aid solution. It is unacceptable for our city and our environment.

Stop the Waste: Spending millions of dollars of public money just to investigate an option the community will never accept is entirely irresponsible.

Focus on the Fix: We demand that the Council stop this investigation immediately and redirect those millions of dollars toward actual, permanent solutions at the plant that do not involve sacrificing our marine environment.

Our Demand:
For CCC to permanently remove the ocean outfall diversion from the Pond Resilience Project options and halt all related spending and investigations immediately.

Why is this important?

Right now, our community is already enduring worsening air quality, and the Council is currently operating under an abatement notice for their ongoing failures at the plant.

Instead of focusing 100% of their resources on fixing the root cause of the odour, the Council is spending millions of ratepayer dollars to investigate dumping partially treated wastewater directly into our ocean outfall. This is being looked at as a "Diversion Option" under their Pond Resilience Project.

We need to stop this for three main reasons:

Trading One Crisis for Another: We cannot allow the Council to trade a devastating air quality crisis for a marine environmental disaster in Pegasus Bay.
Pumping partially treated wastewater into our ocean is not a solution; it is a dangerous band-aid.

Wasting Millions of Dollars: It is completely irresponsible to spend millions of dollars just to investigate a backup plan that the community vehemently opposes. That money needs to be spent on actual, permanent fixes at the plant itself.

Enough is Enough for the East: The residents of Bromley and the surrounding areas have endured enough disruption and environmental stress. We are united in saying no to this outfall diversion, and we refuse to let this happen in our city.
We need to send a loud, undeniable message to the Council before they vote on the Pond Resilience Project on April 1st. Sign this petition to demand they take the ocean outfall investigation off the table permanently and focus entirely on fixing the plant.

References
[1] Christchurch City Council, "CWTP Odour Proposed Pond By-pass" briefing document, outlining the proposed secondary treatment bypass (Page 1). Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mydPWu6wWuGTF9NwmzmSj3EdTriFQxOm/view?usp=drivesdk

How it will be delivered

At Christchurch City Council April 1st after 10am

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Updates

2026-04-02 21:50:39 +1300

Petition is successful with 121 signatures

2026-04-02 15:43:07 +1300

WE WON. Council voted for aeration — NO ocean bypass pipe. No partially treated sewage dumped into the sea near New Brighton.

More aerators in the ponds means the smell gets tackled at the source. Better for residents. Better for the ocean. Better for kai moana.

Thank you to everyone who signed and shared. And to Councillor Yani Johanson and Councillor Celeste Donovan for holding the line in that chamber.

Ko te moana ko au. Ko au ko te moana.
Ko te iwi ko au. Ko au ko te iwi.

The ocean is me. The people are me. 🌊

2026-04-02 15:37:54 +1300

https://www.newsline.ccc.govt.nz/news/story/more-aeration-to-reduce-wastewater-treatment-plant-odour?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQ6tLFjbGNrBDq0qmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtKn2fvqaVPSlK3GajoN02YxXDoQ0ANg-7e7v-m578XEW4btVlLo8UfVKSYV_aem_uV7dSQ26aExnsUcysTnulg

2026-03-31 13:22:22 +1300

Yani Johanson jumped hoops at got me 5mins to speak at 11.55ish !

2026-03-31 07:43:56 +1300

Well well well Seems Like The Mayor has his heart set on the Outfall Pipe the new resource management act means they could be doing this for 25 years - but its all good they dropped the safety standards so if they work hard they will be in the new "safe" zone

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18BRXaheHT/

2026-03-30 09:12:06 +1300

100 signatures reached

2026-03-29 21:52:29 +1300

I will be presenting this petition to Council April 1st on decision day

2026-03-23 16:04:14 +1300

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HTNsRndfF/

2026-03-23 16:03:41 +1300

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1QrFNMFiYg/

2026-03-23 16:03:35 +1300

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ERLvsEgoj/

2026-03-23 16:00:51 +1300