Poor and slow - that's how an independent report described Christchurch City Council's response to the fire that severely damaged the city's wastewater treatment plant, nearly two years ago.
Bromley residents have lived with a putrid stench of burnt waste for months, suffering from headaches and nausea, desperate for fresh air.
A massive blaze left Christchurch's wastewater treatment plant operating at less than half capacity.
It's created months of torture for nearby residents, neighbouring suburbs and at times the entire city.
"It absolutely stank, the stench was absolutely appalling. It was rank," said community advocate Don Gould.
Now, an independent report commissioned by Christchurch City Council has found the council's response was poor and slow.
"I think it vindicates... that the response was not adequate," Linwood Councillor Yani Johansen said.
The November 2021 fire resulted in overloaded treatment ponds. The burnt waste inside damaged trickling filters and created a putrid stench.
Residents bought air purifiers while noxious gases caused paint to blacken on some houses.
The report was drawn from 54 interviews, including affected residents, current and former councillors, iwi representatives, and council staff.
The report corroborated what residents had been telling the council for months - that they were suffering from nausea, vomiting, coughing, sore/watering eyes, headaches/migraines and sleeplessness.
"Out of any city in New Zealand, Christchurch should've been the most prepared to deal with this. We had a decade of disasters," Johansen said.
"Yet when this happened our failure to respond adequately was highlighted for all to see. We need to absolutely learn the lessons."
The report also highlighted how the council referred to the stench as an "unpleasant odour" - it didn't acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.
Its technical response was good, but it was "too slow to recognise this was a wellbeing issue", and there was "no sense of urgency".
"We totally accept all the findings in that review," Christchurch City Council acting CEO Mary Richardson said.
The council offered gift cards to 3000 residents as a well-being support package.
"We would once again like to apologise to the community. We are committed to putting this right and rebuilding the relationship with them," Richardson said.
Council has confirmed the insurer has accepted its claim - a step in the right direction.
