Source: Radio New Zealand
Nick Monro
A million dollar deal has been struck after another sewage overflow hit under-strain oyster farmers north of Auckland.
A power surge tripping pumps at Warkworth sent about 1200 metres of wastewater overflowing, with about half of that thought to have gone into the Mahurangi River.
It meant an almost month-long halt on harvesting and one farmer said he had to dump 60,000 oysters in a week.
A settlement involving short-term relief has been agreed to between Aquaculture New Zealand, the Oyster Industry Association and Watercare.
“This incident has struck at the heart of our oyster farming community,” Aquaculture New Zealand chief executive Tee Hale Pennington said.
“Our farmers have endured immense stress and uncertainty through no fault of their own.”
Aquaculture New Zealand said the deal gives immediate relief but that it would still be chasing financial settlement for total losses, while demanding systemic changes.
“It is vital that Watercare learns from this disastrous incident and takes appropriate actions and decisions that restores confidence, protects livelihoods, and ensures the ongoing sustainability of the region’s marine environment and aquaculture industry,” Hale Pennington said.
The latest sewage overflow, believed to be the year’s biggest, came at the peak of the season.
Local oyster farmers say they have been battling against sewage issues for seven years.
Watercare said the $1m settlement relates solely to the most recent overflow.
“The incident was caused by a unique chain of events – a power surge that was compounded by our alert system and monitoring not operating as intended,” chief executive Jamie Sinclair said.
“We are appointing an external expert to assist us in quantifying the impact on the oyster farmers.”
Sinclair said Watercare knows the disruption came at a very challenging time.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
