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The Mv Rena On Otaiti And Astrolable Reef

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Introduction
1. Following the grounding of the MV Rena on Otaiti/Astrolable Reef (“the Reef”), in the Bay of Plenty, its owners Daina Shipping Company established a trust entity - the Astrolable Community Trust (the Applicant), to lodge an application for resource consent pursuant to sections 15A and 15B of the Resource Management Act 1991 (the RMA) to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (the Council). The applicant seeks consents to abandon the remains and associated debris of the wreck in place on the seabed (S15A), and to authorise any potential future discharge of contaminants from the degradation of the wreckage (S15B).

2. Upon submission of this application to the Council, the Proposal was publicly notified and generated a significant response from the local community – variety of responses ranging from those supporting the proposal, to those opposing and some in neutral .

3. Of particular significance is the number of opposing submissions that were submitted which the Council and its reporting planner noted were a total of 101 submissions out of 151 valid submissions submitted . Arguably this is a significant number of submissions indicating high levels of concerns the community has in regards to this Proposal, and although the community may not be experts on this matter they are however, are the ones living and breathing in the Bay of Plenty. As such their evidence deserves appropriate weight.

4. These legal submissions and the evidence that will be presented

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