South Island Resource Recovery Limited (SIRRL) has enlisted the services of Public Relations firm Convergence to oversee the public rollout of ‘Project Kea’, the proposal to truck 365,000 tonnes of waste to Glenavy, near Waimate, to be disposed of by incineration. Convergence was in close contact with Waimate District Council in August 2021 before the public release of the proposal. This involved the company requesting a list of the town’s “key influencers” in an attempt to gain local support for Project Kea. The company also asked Mayor Craig Rowley for a “supporting statement.”
Convergence, as part of their responsibilities, provided a website to disseminate more information about the proposal. However, this website, which was intended to inform the public, was found to contain misleading and false information. Furthermore, it failed to include crucial details about the actual proposal, potentially impacting the public’s understanding and perception of Project Kea.
Many people in Waimate believe that the public relations company has been used to manipulate the Waimate community. Learn more about Convergence and its role in Project Kea below.