ENERGY PROJECTS:


Escarpment Mine, Buller District

Client:
Buller Coal Limited
Date:
2012
Objectives:
To prepare SIA evidence for Environment Court Appeal against approved consents
Major activities:
- site visit to the Denniston Plateau, with other technical consultants;
- review of Australian SIA literature on Fly-In/Fly-Out and Drive-In/Drive-Out (FIFO/DIDO) operations;
- discussions with Fairdown-Whareatea Residents Association regarding the proposed coal handling and de-watering facility;
- preparation of social profile for northern Buller District and Westport;
- in-depth analysis of the housing/accommodation markets in Buller District;
- interviews with extensive range of key informants in social agencies in Buller District, covering health services, schools, pre-schools and other social services.
Outputs:
Statement of evidence for the Appeal hearing.

Wairakei Transmission Line Upgrade

Client:
Transpower Limited.
Date:
2010
Objectives:
To prepare an SIA Report to accompany the resource consent application.
Major activities:
- visits to existing transmission route and proposed transmission route with landscape and visual effects expert;
- visit around general area covered by all alternative route options;
- preparation of social profile of the area covered by all alternative route options, including rural sub-division histories;
- detailed analysis of separation distances and view-shafts between existing dwellings and existing and proposed transmission routes;
- interviews with selected rural residents.
Outputs:
SIA Report

Turitea wind farm, Manawatu

Client:
Palmerston North City Council
Date:
2009
Objectives:
To prepare SIA evidence on the Turitea wind farm proposal of Mighty River Power Ltd for presentation to the Board of Inquiry.
Major Activities:
- key informant interviews with representatives of regional economic development, the regional tourism sector, recreation groups, regional wind farm operators;
- focus group discussions with members of the residential communities living in the Tararua foothills around Turitea, and with participating landowners;
- a Citizens Panel Survey on experience of existing wind farms and attitudes to further wind farm development;
- an Ex-Post Survey of experience of the visual and noise effects of existing wind farms on people living within 5km of a turbine:
- secondary data analysis (e.g. census data on the spatial distribution of recent population growth; PNCC planning records of recent rural sub-divisions, etc.):
- discussions with other consultants assessing landscape, noise, hydrology, ecology, traffic and strategic energy considerations;
- review of national surveys of attitudes to wind farm development.
Outputs:
Statement of evidence on social effects to the Board of Inquiry hearing
Statement of evidence in rebuttal of the s42A report

Wairau Valley hydro-electric power stations and canals, Marlborough

Client:
TrustPower Ltd
Date:
2005-2009
Objectives:
To prepare an SIA Report to accompany the resource consent application; to prepare SIA evidence for the Environment Court hearing
Major activities:
2005: - document review (e.g. the TrustPower AEE documents and the reports of other consultants in the assessment team; community newsletters; etc.);
- primary data collection through face-to-face interviews with potentially affected residents and other key informants, and through direct observations by the assessment team;
- comparison case experience through key informant interviews (e.g. regarding community experience of direct and indirect effects of irrigation uptake; emergency services experience of the effects of other major construction projects in the region and appropriate planning measures; etc.); and
- secondary data access (e.g. Statistics NZ demographic data; Ministry of Education data on school rolls; MDC data on Class B water takes from the Wairau River; etc.) 2007:
- community consultation interviews to establish the Project Communications Group 2009:
- interviews with community representatives on the Project Communications Group; other key informant interviews and document review to update the community profile and reassess social effects.
Outputs:
SIA Report (December 2005)
Three statements of evidence on social effects to the resource consent hearing (2006)
Statement of evidence on social effects to the Environment Court (2009) - not available yet

Mokihinui hydro-electric power station, Buller

Client:
Meridian Energy Ltd
Date:
2007-2008
Objectives:
To prepare an SIA Report to accompany the resource consent application and a statement of evidence on social effects for the resource consent hearing
Major activities:
- document review (e.g. the Meridian AEE documents and the reports of other consultants in the assessment team);
- primary data collection through face-to-face interviews with potentially affected residents and other key informants, and through direct observations by the assessment team;
- comparison case experience through key informant interviews (e.g. regarding community experience of road haulage operations and mining workforce recruitment on the West Coast);
- secondary data access (e.g. Statistics NZ demographic data; Ministry of Education data on school rolls):
- establishment of a Community Consultation Group to facilitate community-level engagement and provide opportunities for exchange of information between applicant and community and for reviewing consultants’ assessments.
Outputs:
SIA Report (April 2008)
Statement of evidence on social effects to the resource consent hearing

NZ Energy Information Handbook 3rd edition

Client:
Centre for Advanced Engineering
Date:
2007-2008
Objectives:
To update and expand the content of the 2nd edition, published previously by Taylor Baines & Associates
Major Activities:
- provision of previous content;
- setting editorial guidance;
- providing sections of draft;
- editorial review.
Outputs:
The New Zealand Energy Information Handbook - Third Edition, published by the Centre for Advanced Engineering, University of Canterbury.

Mahinerangi wind farm, Otago

Client:
TrustPower Ltd
Date:
2005-2007
Objectives:
To prepare an SIA Report to accompany the resource consent application
Major activities:
- document review (e.g. the TrustPower AEE documents and the reports of other consultants in the assessment team);
- primary data collection through face-to-face interviews with potentially affected residents and other key informants, and through direct observations by the assessment team;
- comparison case experience through key informant interviews (e.g. regarding community experience of wind farms in other parts of the country);
- secondary data access (e.g. Statistics NZ demographic data; Ministry of Education data on school rolls).
Outputs:
SIA Report (March 2007)

Mohaka (Kakariki) hydro-electric power station (initial scoping), Hawkes Bay

Client:
Meridian Energy Ltd
Date:
2005-2006
Objectives:
To conduct scoping activities of potential social issues and effects jointly with a Ngati Pahauwera researcher and prepare a Scoping SIA Report for the joint Working Group
Major activities:
- key informant interviews in the communities of Raupunga, Mohaka and Waihua, and Wairoa
- document review including environmental scoping reports, Waitangi Tribunal Reports, selected literature on the social effects of hydro-electric development, a recreational survey, etc.
- analysis of demographic census data
Outputs:
SIA Scoping Report to the Joint Working Group

The Impact on Housing Energy Efficiency of Market Prices, Incentives and Regulatory Requirements

Client:
Centre for Housing Research for Aotearoa NZ
Date:
2006
Objectives:
To research the effect of prices, incentives and regulation on energy efficiency within households, and to recommend options for regulatory and market-based instruments that will further encourage greater levels of energy efficiency.
Major Activities:
Developing an analytical framework to incorporate consideration of:
- Market prices, incentives and regulatory requirements;
- Segmenting the housing market in a manner to assist the differentiation and focusing of policy options; and
- making future projections of these two through to 2031.
Outputs:
Report to the client (August 2006)


Te Uku wind farm, Waikato

Client:
WEL Networks Ltd
Date:
2006
Objectives:
To provide advice on SIA practice and process to the client
Major Activities:
- Site familiarisation visit
- Open Day attendance
- team discussions
Outputs:
Advice to the client.

Background research for National Energy Research Road Map

Client:
Ministry of Research, Science & Technololgy
Date:
2006
Objectives:
To investigate the historical role of R&D in exploiting this country’s geothermal energy opportunities; the potential role in future, and understanding the time-frames from research to commercial exploitation.
Major Activities:
Interviews with research providers in the field of geothermal energy research
Outputs:
Report to the Client (August 2006)

Warm Homes - social drivers

Client:
Ministry for the Environment
Date:
2005
Objectives:
To examine ways to encourage New Zealand households to move to cleaner heating sources, to increase household energy efficiency and to encourage generally warmer and healthier homes, with a view to recommending a national programme of change.
Major Activities:
Develop a conceptual framework, undertake an international literature review, and analyse New Zealand's experience to date of home heating and home energy efficiency improvements, based on reviewing New Zealand documentation and on 30 interviews with key informants; analyse issues and options for programme design, hold workshops in 4 communities throughout the country to test elements of programme design; interpret the outputs of these activities into a pragmatic concept of 'a national programme', and produce a set of recommendations on how to develop appropriate incentives to enable behaviour change in relation to home heating and energy efficiency.
Outputs:
Phase 1 Report: Warm Homes - Social drivers, incentives and behaviour change. Interim progress report. February 2005.

Phase 2 Report: Warm Homes - Social drivers. June 2005

Social Impact Assessment of an extension to the Tararua wind farm

Client:
Trustpower Ltd
Date:
2005
Objectives:
Conduct a social impact assessment of the proposed extension to TrustPower's existing Tararua wind farm, as the basis for preparing evidence for a commissioners' hearing.
Major Activities:
A review of AEE documentation, public submissions and newspaper clippings; Rapid appraisal survey of ~50 households in Ashhurst on their experience of the noise and visual effects of the existing wind farms; field work associated with scoping and main assessment for the SIA; demographic analysis of host community and interviews with residents living in close proximity to the proposed development, as key informants including operators of the Tararua wind farm and the Te Apiti wind farm, planners at Palmerston North City Council, Tararua District Council, Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council (Horizons), and other key informants in the tourism, recreation business, transport, real estate and school sectors, and community representatives.
Outputs:
Statement of evidence to Palmerston North CC Commissioners' hearing.

Makara wind farm, Wellington (Project Westwind)

Client:
Meridian Energy Ltd
Date:
2005
Objectives:
To prepare SIA evidence to accompany the resource consent application
Major activities:
- a site familiarisation visit to Makara Village, Makara Farm, Makara Beach and South Makara Road on 18 May 2005;
- a review of other consultants reports and discussions with other consultants in Meridian’s consenting team;
- a scoping visit to interview a sample of residents from various parts of the Makara Valley, from South Makara Road to Makara Beach, and to meet with the Makara-Ohariu Community Board to explain the SIA process and invite the Board to facilitate discussions in the community;
- a review of the AEE documentation;
- a second assessment visit for further interviewing of Makara residents and other key informants in Karori and Wellington City, particularly recreational interests in the Valley, farming interests in the Valley and tourism interests in Wellington City ; and
- a review of public submissions.
- analysis of census demographic data;
- analysis of national survey data on attitudes to the project and to wind farm development in general.
Outputs:
Statement of evidence on social effects to the resource consent hearing

Energy Input-output Analysis of the New Zealand Economy

Client:
Ministry for the Environment
Date:
1992
Objectives:
  1. Detail the structure of energy supply and demand throughout the New Zealand economy for the 1986/87 Fiscal year.
  2. Derive the associated carbon dioxide emissions for each industry sector in the economy.
Major Activities:
Data gathering, analysis and reconciliation of energy transactions; Evaluation of carbon dioxide emissions for various fossil fuel types used in the new Zealand economy;Input-output matrix inversion.
Outputs:
Energy intensity coefficients of production (MJ/$) for each industry in the System of National Accounts (184 sectors)
Carbon dioxide emission coefficients (tonnes CO2/$) for each industry
NOTE:
Similar analyses (Objective (i) only) have been carried out for other clients in relation to the 1971/72, 1976/77, 1981/82 Inter-Industry Surveys.