David Mills
[email address]
4 Smith Street
Paekakariki
Kapiti Coast
Wellington 5034

To: Official Information Officer
Kapiti Coast District Council
Email: [email address]

Date: 20th March 2026

Subject: LGOIMA Request: Firefighting Water Supply and Environmental Compliance – Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (SH59)

Dear Official Information Officer,

This is a request for official information under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) regarding the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC), currently under construction on State Highway 59, Mackay’s Crossing.

Can you please provide the following information:

1. Firefighting Water Supply (SNZ PAS 4509:2008)

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre has a heavy vehicle inspection shed with an approximate floor area of 260m2 and ceiling height of 5.35 meters, which, at present, does not have a fire suppression sprinkler system. Daily, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre will have heavy vehicles carrying hazardous goods on-site. Based only on the inspection shed size and height, applying the Firefighting Water Supply (SNZ PAS 4509:2008) Code, it dictates a minimum firefighting water supply classification of FW4. This classification requires specific minimum flow rates and firefighting water provisions.

Please provide the following information regarding compliance with an "Acceptable Solution" as mandated by Section 17 of the Building Act 2004:

1a. The Fire Hazard Category (FHC) calculation and any Risk Assessment conducted under Appendix H of SNZ PAS 4509:2008 used to determine the water supply requirements.

1b. Documentation showing how the total fire load was calculated. Specifically, does this calculation account for the "worst-case" scenario of peak-hour throughput (e.g., up to 11 heavy vehicles, potentially carrying Class 3 or Class 8 hazardous substances) on-site simultaneously, or only the physical structure?

1c. Evidence of compliance with SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Table 2 (Method for determining firefighting water supply, Note 6 - Alternative Supply), justifying why an alternative or on-site water supply was apparently deemed unnecessary despite the site’s specific operational risks.

1d. The Fire Engineering Report (FER) or Fire Hazard Category (FHC) assessment (as per SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Appendix H) used to justify the omission of on-site fire hydrants and/or static water storage.

1e. Any Fire Design Summary provided to the Kapiti Coast District Council Building Consent Authority that outlines how the "Acceptable Solution" for fire fighting water is achieved. Please specifically address compliance with SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Table 1 (Required water supply for firefighting) and SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Table 2 (Water supply requirements for fire hazards) given the 960m distance of the 150mm main from the source.

1f. The results of any physical flow and pressure tests conducted as per SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Appendix G (Testing of Fire Hydrants) for the 150mm water main at the hydrant located near the site entrance.

1g. The modelled or tested residual pressure at the single hydrant located 135m from the inspection shed while flowing at the FW4 mandated rate of 3,000 L/min (50 L/sec), ensuring compliance with the 100 kPa minimum residual pressure requirement, specified in SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Section 5 (Running (Dynamic) Pressure).

1h. Copies of any correspondence between Kapiti Coast District Council Engineering and NZTA (Waka Kotahi) regarding the 135m maximum distance requirement between a hydrant and the centre of the main entry to the structure, as specified in SNZ PAS 4509:2008 Section L4 and illustrated in Figure L2(c).

2. Access and Safety for Firefighting Operations (Building Code Clause C5)

2a. As building work must comply with the New Zealand Building Code under Section 17 of the Building Act 2004, please provide information regarding compliance with Clause C5:

2b. Any assessment held by the Building Consent Authority verifying that the site layout provides adequate "Access and Safety for Firefighting Operations" as required by Performance Requirement C5.2. This would include the requirement to safeguarding people from an unacceptable risk of injury or illness caused by fire, including the placement of the single fire fighting water supply hydrants downwind of the predominant wind (North/Northwesterly), unacceptably forcing Firefighters to be exposed to toxic fumes.

2c. Please provide the documentation, such as a Fire Engineering Report, or Building Consent Authority assessment explaining how the site achieves compliance with Building Code Clause C5.2 and SNZ PAS 4509:2008, specifically addressing how firefighting crews can “operate effectively” at a FW4 classified structure requiring 3,000 L/min, while relying on a single hydrant located 135 meters away that is capped at a maximum design flow of 2,100 L/min (SNZ PAS 4509:2008 - Table 2, Note 5).

3. Crown Entity Compliance (Building Act Section 7)

NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is the lead agency for this project and a Crown entity. Please provide:

3a. Evidence of the internal quality assurance or technical certifications provided by NZTA to Kapiti Coast District Council that satisfies [the Council] that the project meets the Building Code as per the "Binding of the Crown" requirements in Section 6 of the Building Act 2004.

3b. Any "Letter of Comfort" or equivalent indemnity provided by the Crown to Kapiti Coast District Council regarding the specific departure from SNZ PAS 4509:2008 requirements at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre.

4. Land Development & Engineering Sign-off

4a. A copy of the completed Land Development Checksheet (or Engineering Approval Checksheet) for this project, specifically the sections pertaining to fire fighting, water supply, and Stormwater/Discharge.

4b. Any Engineering Design Approval (EDA) documents issued by Kapiti Coast District Council for the site’s infrastructure, and the name of the Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) who certified that the firefighting water supply meets the Kapiti Coast District Council Land Development Minimum Requirements (LDMR) in accordance with SNZ PAS 4509:2008 requirements in Section 4.3 (Method for Determination of Fire Fighting Water Supply).

5. Environmental & RMA Compliance (Section 15)

The site is situated in close proximity to the Paekākāriki community drinking water bores. Please provide:

5a. The Resource Consent or Permitted Activity status documents for the discharge of stormwater/run-off from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre hardstand into the western soak pits/holding ponds.

5b. Any Environmental Impact Assessments or technical reports held by Council addressing the risk of toxic firefighting run-off (resulting from a hazardous goods fire at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre) entering the aquifer via these apparently uncontrolled soak holes.

6. Hazardous Substances Containment

6a. The Engineering Approval or Building Consent documentation that verifies the site’s drainage system meets the requirements for secondary containment of hazardous substances (110% volume rule) based on NZTA latest truck volume estimates (11 truck between 8-9am, 7 trucks between 5-6pm daily), as per the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.

6b. Given the site's proximity to the local aquifer, please provide the “Producer Statement” or “Compliance Certificate” that confirms the secondary containment system meets all the specific regulations relating to the hazardous materials expected at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre, and containing a spill effectively.

7. Administrative Details

7a. If the Council has transferred any of these responsibilities to a third party (e.g., Greater Wellington Regional Council or Taumata Arowai), please specify which parts of this request have been transferred and to whom.

I am making this request as a resident of Paekākāriki and a volunteer firefighter concerned with community safety and its water security. If the information could please be provided as a PDF that would be appreciated.

I look forward to your response within the statutory 20 working days.

Kind regards,

David Mills