First wastewater flows through Cambridge's new treatment plant

A milestone years in the making

Wastewater began flowing through the sparkling new Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant for the first time today. This milestone brings one of Waipā’s most significant regional infrastructure projects one step closer to its completion date at the end of this year.

The event was marked with a karakia led by the Kaitiaki Group, honouring the relationship between the project, the land, and the Waikato River that has guided every stage of the plant's development. It is the latest in a series of cultural milestones that have defined the project since before construction began.

The plant is Waipā District Council's largest-ever infrastructure project, at a total cost of $108.5 million. When fully commissioned, it will serve Cambridge, Leamington, Hautapu, and Karāpiro. It is designed to meet the needs of a community expected to grow from around 20,000 residents today to 50,000 by 2060.

The new plant uses Membrane Bioreactor technology, treating wastewater to a standard comparable to the best treatment plants in New Zealand. It operates at approximately a third of the footprint of the existing pond-based system and generates solar power on-site during the day.

Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit was there to witness the milestone. “This is a proud day for Cambridge and for Waipā. What we are seeing today is the result of years of genuine partnership; with our iwi, with our community, and with the Waikato River. This plant will serve our district for decades, and it has been built with the care and integrity that that responsibility demands.

“Reaching this point in commissioning is a significant engineering milestone. Seeing wastewater move through the system for the first time is the moment the plant came alive. It is the product of an enormous amount of work by a large team of people who have been committed to getting this right. We are on track for full operations later this year and are also on budget.”

The project’s cultural thread is woven tightly into the fabric of the project. The Kaitiaki Group was formed in 2021, made up of representatives from Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Hauā, Waikato-Tainui, Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council. The Group has co-designed the plant from the outset, integrating western science with mātauranga Māori at every stage.

That partnership enabled a 35-year resource consent to be granted in September 2023 without the need for a formal council hearing. As a result, significant time and ratepayer money was saved, and construction was able to begin promptly.

Poto Davies and Norm Hill have been big part of the Kaitiaki Group since its inception and are proud of the work that has been done. “For us, this has never just been about a wastewater plant. It has been about the awa, about our obligation to the Waikato River and to those who will come after us. We are proud to have been part of this from the beginning, and today’s karakia reflects that. It is not just a formality, but a genuine acknowledgement of what this water, this land, and this river mean to our people.

Construction of the plant is being carried out by Spartan Construction, with the project to be fully operational by December 1, 2026.

Further information about the Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant project, including background on the Kaitiaki Group and the project timeline, is available at letstalk.waipadc.govt.nz/CBWWTP.

KEY FACTS AT A GLANCE

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The plant must comply with Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato (the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River) and Tai Tumu Tai Pari Tai Ao (the Waikato-Tainui Environmental Plan).
• Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology uses a combination of biological treatment and membrane filtration to treat wastewater to a very high standard before discharge.