February 24, 2020
Dead tuna point to Silver Fern Farms failure
A south Taranaki iwi leader says an ammonia spill from Silver Ferns Farms' Hawera meat plant that killed thousands of eels is a sign of how environmental protections are failing.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the spill happened last Wednesday, but it was only today that the Taranaki Regional Council confirmed its extent.
She says the company refused to talk to Ngāti Ruanui, who detected the spill and put a rāhui on the stretch of Tawhiti Stream flowing into the Tangahoe River.
"There's a huge sense of grief. It's like turning up and seeing a whole pā wiped out. Tuna for us are kaitiaki because the minute one of them goes or is sick or something happens, that is a tohu for us that the wai is wrong and we've got to follow the trail to see what happened," she syas.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the company and the council have made a hash of their response, which is why environmental control should be returned to iwi.
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