Bioplant Tairāwhiti
Status of project
Company’s request to be included on Schedule 2 of Fast Track Approvals law rejected. Current status unknown.
Background to the project
Bioplant Tairawhiti NZ Limited indicated in 2020 that it would build a pyrolysis plant on Tauwhareparae Road, Tolaga Bay that would accept mixed solid waste, plastics and forestry slash. The company is the same one that sought a resource consent for the same technology in Feilding but withdrew the application after it was clear that it would fail.
In 2025, Newsroom published a story that included a list of companies that sought to gain inclusion on Schedule 2 of the Fast Track Approval law. Bioplant Tairawhiti was one such company. The company was unsuccessful in being listed.
Official Information requests here and here about this application revealed that in 2022, the company was given $212,000 of co-funding by the Ministry of Primary Industries under an Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) grant. This money was used to pay for pre-consent activity including:
• Geo-technical studies
• Health report
• Emission report
• Cultural impact assessment
Campaign updates
Chronological from most recent
As of 14 May 2025, MPI has refused to disclose the original ITP application or the reports produced by the company because, “this project is still being, or will soon be, considered by Gisborne District Council, with no timeframe for a decision.” A complaint has been filed with the Ombudsman in respect of this refusal.
An OIA to the Gisborne District Council dated 14 March 2025 indicates that the GDC has no information relating to this project.