A joint paper on the suite of upgrades for the Mangawhai wastewater treatment plant has won the prestigious Paper of the Year award at the Water NZ conference.

The paper “Improving treatment plant upgrade planning by understanding the capabilities of existing assets” was co-authored by Anin Nama, Kaipara District Council General Manager for Service Delivery, alongside Craig White (Beca Hunter H2O), Liam Tamplin (Beca Hunter H2O), Clinton Cantrell (SCO Consulting), and Terry Roche (Downer) and Aidan van Rysewyk (Downer). Aidan and Terry both worked at the Mangawhai wastewater treatment plant, with Terry managing the plant for around 15 years until retiring recently.

The judges’ comments said the paper “exemplifies innovation and out of the box thinking while efficiently achieving the best outcomes for the community. This paper showcases a visionary approach to addressing the challenges faced by Mangawhai’s wastewater treatment system in a high-tourist area.

The authors demonstrated that through a series of innovative yet minimally disruptive upgrades, existing infrastructure can be optimised to unlock capacity and enhance performance, reducing both capital and operating costs by over 30%.”

Kaipara District Council Chief Executive Jason Marris said the award recognised the work staff had put in over recent years to utilise and maximise the existing infrastructure of the plant, ensuring ratepayers and residents were getting the best service possible for the lowest cost.

“I am extremely proud that the work of our staff, team of technical experts, and our contractors has been recognised on a national stage.

This paper really showcases their talents and the excellent work they have done to improve the capacity at the plant and improve its performance in a cost-efficient and innovative manner.”

Read the award-winning paper and the latest report about the Mangawhai wastewater treatment plant (on the 6 November council agenda).

About the Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme – Master Plan Strategy

The Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme (MWWS) – Master Plan Strategy sets out a plan for upgrades to Mangawhai’s wastewater network to meet the needs of the town for the next 30 years.

Stage one includes design, commission and implementation of an inDENSE system to increase Mangawhai Wastewater Plant’s capacity by 550 to 3,550 connections. Stage One was completed earlier this year.

The next stage capacity upgrades for the treatment plant will result in a capacity increase to 5,500 connections, and the ability to enhance effluent quality to allow further use of the treated effluent.

Stage two of the Plan is now underway and includes concept design and consent plan development of Mangawhai Golf Course.

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