B-3 – Area 3 - Assessment of Environmental Effects 43 The WUG Access Tunnel is also located within the Waihi Basin aquifer management area. There is sufficient capacity within the groundwater allocation limits to accommodate the water take associated with the construction and operation of the WUG Access Tunnel. A small volume of the dewatered water may be used for drilling purposes during construction of the WUG Access Tunnel. Surplus water will otherwise be diverted to the WTP for treatment prior to discharge into the Ohinemuri River. The groundwater take associated with Area 3 is therefore consistent with the outcomes sought by Objectives 3.14 and 3.15 and associated policies and will not result in over allocation of ground or surface water resources. 7.5.1.2 Overall Conclusion Overall, it is concluded that the activities proposed within Area 3 can be undertaken in a manner that will not reduce the environmental values expressed at the surface. As set out in the preceding sections, the activities within Area 3 are therefore being managed such that they are consistent with the outcomes sought in the aforementioned objectives and policies of the RPS. 7.6 REGIONAL AND DISTRICT PLANS 7.6.1 Waikato Regional Plan The WRP contains objectives, policies, methods and rules relating to the management of natural and physical resources of the Waikato Region. The WRP addresses the following topics of relevance to Area 3: Water – including provisions which address recent national policy direction, water takes, efficient use, discharges to water, and the damming and diversion of water; River beds – including provisions relating to the erection and use of structures; Land and soil – including provisions which address works in high risk erosion areas, and discharges onto or into land; and OGNZL continues to work with tangata whenua regarding the effects of the project on cultural values. Provisions within the WRP regarding cultural values have been assessed within Section 9 of the Overarching AEE. 7.6.1.1 National Direction Policy A4 and B7 of the National Policy Statement 2014 were inserted into the WRP in August 2015. Despite a new NPSFM being released in 2020, the 2014 policies remain in the WRP. When considering any application for a discharge, Policy A4 requires the consent authority to have regard to:
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