100% Pure NZ - Kawerau Mill Can Continue To Pollute River For 25 Years

Another example of how the phrase 100% pure NZ is starting to sound a little hollow.

Tasman Pulp and Paper Mill in Kawerau can continue to pump effluent into the Tarawera River, known as the 'black drain' and emit gas and dust for the next 25 years after its resource consent was renewed recently.

The commissioners when approving the consent admitted that the quality of the river was degraded as a result of the discharges, but said called this case an exceptional circumstance, outweighed by social and economic benefits the mill provided in the forestry industry.

 As far as we can tell there is no pressure on the owners (Carter Holt Harvey and Norske Skog) to clean up their act.

Amongst the protestors to the resource consent were  The Green party, mill neighbours and Maori. The June edition of the Whakatane Beacon stated:

"The Green party submission, lodged in the names of MP Catherine Delahunty and her partner Gordon Jackman, a former Greenpeace activist, said the Norske Skog and Carter Holt Harvey applications showed a lack of commitment to further improving their discharges to air and water, and to investigating alternatives.

They said the mills relied on using the Tarawera River as a drain and had breached the Treaty rights of tangata whenua including Ngati Awa, Ngati Rangitihi and Tuwharetoa.

“We do not accept that using the Tarawera as a drain is the only option for the mills to operate and provide jobs in the region,” Ms Delahunty and Mr Jackman said.

They said the 35-year consent terms sought by “a polluting industry” were unacceptable and if the consents were granted the terms should be restricted to 10 years.

They cited the dark colour of the Tarawera River and its “dioxin-contaminated fish”, as reasons for their concerns.

Ms Delahunty and Mr Jackman said the mills emitted a range of highly toxic substances to the air, including benzene, volatile organics and chlorine compounds.

They disputed claims by Norske Skog and Carter Holt the effects of these discharges were no more than minor...."

It doesn't inspire confidence that the same principles won't apply to the mining companies whom the government may allow to access vast tracts of previously protected conservation land to exploit their mineral wealth, estimated to be in the region of $140 billion, almost seven times as much as tourism brings in. The estate under consideration is said to include oil reserves in Fiordland National Park and gold and coal in Kahurangi and Paparoa parks.

Green MP Catherine Delahunty has drafted a Member’s Bill that would prevent polluters from being granted consent to indefinitely pollute waterways under an “exceptional circumstances” clause. It would limit the length of consents granted under exceptional circumstances to five years.



How long until NZ can no longer pretend it is clean, green and 100% pure?

See also: 'Does NZ deserve its clean green image?' in the Herald and the reader responses to this question.

Waitakere's Stormwater Drainage Complaints - Response Times Questionable

During the news coverage of Aisling Syme's tragic death it became clear that the drain in which she's drowned had been causing a problem for a number of years. Waitkere council had received four complaints in five years about it: the drain repeatedly blocked and overflowed.

A homeowner made a complaint about the drain 24 days before Aisling went missing. In addition, Landlady Stacey Baker told the press that she'd made the most recent complaint to the Waitakere City Council a week before Aisling disappeared, after heavy rain moved the 20kg lid of the stormwater drain which was found ajar on the day Aisling went missing. Allegedly the council told her that "the lid blows off number 5"

It then, allegedly, took the council 6 days to get around to inspecting the drain, only to find that large willow tree roots were blocking it and it needed to begin "the process of deciding how best to go about removing them" unfortunately for Aisling and her family that decision hadn't been made by the day she died.

A six day response time - if this is true what sort of service is that? And what's worse, this drain had been causing problems for at least 5 years and it still hadn't been resolved.

The drain was last flushed in 2007 after it silted up, the tree roots had grown into it sometime after that. But, the council knew the lid "blew off" and yet they still did nothing to protect the people in the vicinity? If that is proved to be true some would call it negligence, a gross breach of its both its Duty of Care and of Health and Safety at Work legislation.

Other councils have very rapid response times for missing manhole cover complaints - at Manukau Water it's a "Priority 1" job, meaning it's looked at within an hour. Mark Reynolds of Manukau Water Ltd told One News "that might mean putting a temporary cover on it if it's missing, or putting on a replacement cover". Metro Water has a similar response time and Watercare installed 150 nets in manholes to prevent injuries after the covers were removed by vandals. (see More hands make light work)

Folole Muliaga
It brings to mind the death of Folole Muliaga who died after the power to her home and oxygen machine was cut off by a contractor on the orders of Mercury Energy for non payment of bills. The incident drew attention from all over the world, much the same as Aisling's disappearance has. See
"Mother on an oxygen lifelines dies after energy firm cuts the power over £61 arrears" and "NZ coroner: Power cut contributed to woman's death

We have a feeling that Waitakere's perceived shortcomings with regards to the repair and maintenance of its storm water system is going to result in a massive interest into the coroner's investigation of Aisling's death. We think it won't be long before a sacrificial lamb is found within Waitkere Council to take the blame for it all and you can bet it won't be from among the elected representatives.

German Tourists Attacked in Paihia

There's been another attack on tourists in Northland, this time in Paihia at around 3am today on School Road.

Two German tourists reported to police that they were attacked in the early hours of this morning, According to a report on 3 News the two men are aged 19 and 23, suffered cuts and bruises when they were robbed of their passports, cash, German driver’s licenses and other personal items.


View Larger Map, School Road, Paihia
The attacks are bound to re-ingnite the debates over crime and tourist safety in Northland. It comes hot on the heels of other well publicised attacks and robberies in the region including
* Two American tourists who were robbed of their backpack in Shipwreck Bay in September.
* Threee Chinese tourists who were robbed south of 90 Mile Beach at month earlier
* Anthony Cressend, a French tourist, who was beaten and robbed at a campsite in Ahipara.


View Larger Map

See also posts under the tag "Tourist Attacks"