$3 million in grant funding secured for Project Reclaim

Published on 17 June 2025

Waitaki District Council is delighted to announce that the Government has provided $3 million in grant funding to support the now completed Project Reclaim. Project Reclaim removed 67,000 tonne of fly-tipped and oceanside landfill waste from three sites along the East Otago coastline in 2024, safely securing it 8km inland at a purpose-designed landfill cell near Palmerston.

At the time, Waitaki District Council did not qualify for the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund, and was not considered for the additional grant funding provided in February 2024 for projects yet to take place. The Government launched its Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfill Fund in October 2024, and by the time applications were considered in January 2025 – Project Reclaim was completed.

However, strong advocacy from Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher to the Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds and Ministry for Environment officials saw Cabinet approval granted for $3 million in grant funding to recognise the important work that Waitaki District Council and its partners had undertaken to protect the environment.

Mayor Kircher says, “I’d like to thank Minister Simmonds, and the MfE officials, for their recognition of Project Reclaim’s value to the Waitaki District, the natural environment of New Zealand – and the hard work of our project team. We have taken decisive action to remedy past mistakes, led the way in preventing an environmental disaster, and ensured we got the best value for the ratepayer by advocating for both this grant, and the Waste Levy and Emission Trading Scheme waivers.”

This additional funding, combined with the approved waivers of the Waste Levy ($4 million) and Emissions Trading Scheme ($1.4 million), has reduced the overall project cost of Reclaim from $18 million to under $10 million.

With the tonnage of waste removed, from three separate sites, this makes Project Reclaim one of the most cost-effective landfill and fly-tip remediation projects in New Zealand. The approximate cost for the remediation of the waste was $149 a tonne – including all excavation and carting. The nearest landfill, AB Lime in Southland, has a current gate rate of $200/tonne – without excavation and carting costs.

The project is a good example of the Council fulfilling many aspects of its transformation ambitions, including forming strong partnerships to get better outcomes for the district and driving efficiency and value for money for rate payers and residents.

Waitaki District Council recently scooped an Apopo Asset Management award for Excellence in Collaboration for Project Reclaim, alongside project partners Morrison Low, Waste Management NZ, Fulton-Hogan, Tonkin + Taylor and GHC Consulting. ENDS