Source: Auckland Council
The Penrose company which spilled 5000 litres of methyl methacrylate down a stormwater drain and into an open channel leading to the Manukau Harbour in February 2021 has been summoned to appear in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday, 1 March 2022.
Allnex New Zealand Limited will face two charges as a company of ‘Discharging a contaminant onto land, leading to water and Discharging a contaminant into air’.
Mr Peter Sherwood will face another two charges as an individual for the same offences as Allnex NZ Ltd.
The chemical methyl methacrylate alleged to have been discharged from storage at the industrial premises is used in plastic and adhesive manufacturing.
A cleanup of the inner reaches of the Manukau Harbour took several days.
Over 100 eels were found dead in a nearby stream after the chemical compound spilled into the harbour and a report on the impact the chemical may have had on marine life and vegetation is yet to be finalised.
“It’s been a difficult and complicated investigation, one which required expert review of technical data,” says Kerri Fergusson Manager Compliance Response ＆ Investigations.
“We’ve had to engage specialist engineering experts to help with our investigation and we’ve been hampered by the COVID-19 lockdowns which has slowed the process down. We are happy with the outcome of the investigation and hope this sends a strong message to those businesses who handle contaminants that may be harmful to our environment to ensure their processes are sound to prevent anything like this from happening in the future.
“The death and destruction of the freshwater wildlife and fauna was extremely sad to many involved, and the community, and prosecution of those responsible should act as a deterrent to others.”
