Because the company is to committed to ongoing consultation with the local community it has carried out on a very open consultation process since investigation of the Weston cement plant option was announced in May 2006.

This included an initial social effects assessment with input from the local community and other stakeholders.

Public participation is a cornerstone of the RMA and numerous opportunities were provided for people to comment on the proposal during the initial consultative stages, and further opportunities were available during the submission and hearing processes. The ongoing consultation process provided for:

• Consultation forums
• Regular newsletters
• Advertorials in local newspapers
• Information sheets on technical reports
• Access to Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) information and reports as they became available
• Information about the formal resource consenting process
• 0800 number
• Email address
• Website information

Ongoing Consultation
Holcim New Zealand has continued to consult with the community since Resource Consents were granted in February 2008.