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A $3.32 million project to remediate two former landfill sites in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park has been completed, with about 2500 cubic metres of waste removed from sites used between the 1950s and 1980s.
The project targeted two former landfill sites located about 3km from Aoraki/Mount Cook Village and was jointly funded by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Ministry for the Environment, which each contributed $1.66 million.
Flooding highlighted risks
Environment Minister Nicola Grigg says the sites had become increasingly vulnerable to erosion and flooding.
During flooding in 2022, waste from one of the former landfill sites spilled into the Hooker River, which flows into Lake Pūkaki.
“These sites had become increasingly vulnerable to erosion and flooding. We’re investing in getting ahead of those risks, and protecting communities and waterways from historic contamination,” Nicola says.
“Funding this work allowed for waste material to be excavated and disposed of safely at a licensed facility.”
Protecting a sensitive environment
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says the project will help safeguard the national park’s waterways and ecosystems.
“This is an environmentally sensitive catchment and without intervention, waste would continue to erode into the river and impact the park’s water quality, ecosystems and natural values,” Potaka says.
“This work continues DOC’s investment to address increasingly at-risk legacy landfills and other contaminated sites across the country.”
Joint funding support
DOC applied for support through the Ministry for the Environment’s Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfills Fund in mid-2025, with support from Environment Canterbury.
Physical remediation work began in April 2026 and was completed on June 4, 2026.
The project involved excavating waste from the former landfill sites and transporting it to a licensed disposal facility, reducing the risk of future contamination entering the Hooker River and wider Mackenzie Basin catchment.
