77 Newcombe Road Cambridge

All commercial quarries, as defined in the Waipā District Plan, need a resource consent to operate.

In addition, the proposed quarry did not comply with other District Plan rules including the amount of room allowed for vehicles at the entrance, and requirements to seal a parking area. The application did not comply with rules relating to earthworks and vegetation removal proposed within 23m of a nearby stream.

Separate resource consent applications were also made to the Waikato Regional Council. These related to a proposed groundwater take, discharge of water to Karāpiro Stream, soil disturbance and for a large scale overburden disposal. An air discharge resource consent was not applied for.

Excerpt taken from the Application: “RS Sand proposes to establish and operate a sand quarry at 77 Newcombe Road, Cambridge. The quarry is proposed to extract up to 400,000 tonnes of sand per year (depending on demand) for approximately 25 years from the western portion of the site.“

The quarry is made up of a 23 hectare pit area towards the western boundary and a 4 hectare plant area (for processing and stockpiling) to the east of the pit.

Excavations of the pit area will begin 10-15m from the Karāpiro Stream and move south towards Newcombe Road. The stages are approximately 120m wide and will excavate approximately 35m below the existing ground level of the existing terrace. The bottom of the pit area will be approximately 10m above the level of the Karāpiro Stream bank. An internal pit road will link the pit and plant areas.

Access from Newcombe Road to the quarry will be provided via a new vehicle crossing approximately 150m to the west of the site’s existing access and 660m from the Newcombe Road – Tirau Road intersection.

For Stages 1–4 (Years 1–20.2), a 20m wide internal road will be constructed from the new vehicle crossing to the plant area. The road will initially be positioned over Stage 5 and along the existing fence line to limit the impact on the existing dairy farm and dwelling on the Site. For Stage 5 (Years 20.2–25), the internal road will be moved south to provide access to the sand beneath Stage 5.

The quarry is proposed to operate for up to 50 weeks of the year on the following basis:

• Monday to Friday – 7:00am and 5:00pm.
• Saturday – 7:00am and 12:00pm.
• Sunday and public holidays – Closed.

A 30-50 tonne excavator will be used to extract sand from the pit area, while 30-40 tonne articulated dump trucks will transport the sand to the plant area via the internal pit road.

Community input was a key part of the process. Council appointed an independent planner to assess the initial application given the community concerns, and to assure all parties of a robust and independent process.

The planner recommended the application be publicly notified as it raised environmental and planning issues that needed careful consideration.

Independent commissioners were then appointed to jointly hear the application on behalf of Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council.

The commissioners carefully considered the more than 350 submissions received by Council, along with technical evidence.

There is no legal obligation under the Resource Management Act (RMA) for an applicant to consult with any party prior to an application. In this case the applicant consulted with neighbouring parties and iwi prior to lodging the application with Council. Council’s role was then to process and audit the application and decide whether to grant or decline.

Legally we cannot. Unless an activity is classified as ‘prohibited’ any person is entitled to apply for a resource consent. Council then has a legal obligation to assess the application against the Resource Management Act framework.

In this case the proposed activities was not prohibited, so Council had a legal obligation to process the application if it meets certain minimum requirements. These requirements were all met and the application was accepted for processing.

Decisions must be made under the Resource Management Act (RMA). Council could only decline if effects could not be avoided, remedied, or mitigated. Community concerns were considered and addressed through strict consent conditions where possible.

No. Unless an activity is classified as “prohibited,” anyone can apply for consent. Council must process it under the RMA if minimum requirements are met.

Both the applicant and any individuals or organisations who submitted on the consent hearing can appeal the decision to the Environment Court. This must be done within 15 working days of receiving the decision.

Information about this process is available on the Environment Court’s website.

The quarry can proceed once the conditions of consent are met. Operational rules —including traffic, dust, noise, and water quality controls — must be complied with from the start.

Conditions include strict controls on truck movements, dust, noise, water quality, and site rehabilitation.

Both Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council will monitor compliance. Breaches can result in enforcement action, including fines or prosecution.

Traffic effects were a key issue. Independent assessments informed consent conditions, designed to manage truck movements and protect pedestrians and cyclists.

No. Each application is assessed on its own merits under the RMA and the Waipā District Plan.