A David and Goliath battle is playing out north of Auckland as a community continues its fight against a Chinese-owned company's proposal to build a new landfill.
Locals from Warkworth and Wellsford say Waste Management has chosen the wrong spot, and today they took a petition to Parliament.
"It's about what can we do to protect the environment and the New Zealand we know, or knew, for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren," Sue Crockett of the communities' Fight the Tip Committee told 1 NEWS.
Locals have been fighting the proposed landfill for months, including with roadside protests.
More than 1200 people have signed the petition presented to Parliament today requesting that the House ban landfills near waterways.
National MP for Northland Matt King said the tip will do "a huge amount of damage to the environment" because all tributaries in the area feed into the Hoteo River which then goes into the Kaipara Harbour, a snapper fishery.
Labour list MP from Rodney, Marja Lubeck, said ideally she'd like the tip to not be in the Dome Valley, because of waterways and traffic in the area.
The Overseas Investment Office granted Chinese-owned Waste Management permission to buy 1000 hectares of farm and forestry land in the Dome Valley for the landfill in September last year.
Official Information Act documents released to 1 NEWS reveal the Conservation Department opposed the sale, saying it would endanger the environment and wildlife.
"We got a colony of Hochstetter's frog up in there. We've got long finned eels," Ms Crockett said.
The documents also give the reasons the company gave as they sought approval, including "the applicant submits they are a highly reputable organisation and declining the investment could have an adverse impact on New Zealand receiving further investment from China".
"I'm not against foreign investment, but I think in this case I'm not happy with the thought of them using leverage," Ms Crockett said.
Officials rejected that reasoning, but still gave the company permission to buy the land.
Waste Management says it'll continue to talk to the Conservation Department about environmental concerns.
And there's still one big hurdle go to - it needs resource consent from Auckland Council. The company says it will apply for that by the end of May and the public will then have a chance to have their say.
Waste Management say the landfill is needed because the current Redvale one will be full within 10 years.
But locals believe there's got to be a better way of dealing with rubbish than dumping it in their backyard.
SHARE ME