Govt says $1 million contamination compensation to oyster farmers not enough

A $1 million payment from Watercare to oyster farmers impacted by sewage contamination of Mahurangi Harbour is a welcome first step but more is needed, says Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, Jenny Marcroft.

Yesterday, Watercare chief executive, Jamie Sinclair, announced an immediate compensation payment of $1 million to Aquaculture New Zealand for distribution to 10 oyster farmers whose livelihoods were impacted by the latest overflow near Warkworth, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning (29-30 October).

“I applaud Mr Sinclair and Watercare for this speedy response to the problem of sewage overflow into the harbour, which followed a power surge tripping pumps. However, this latest incident came at a time when the farmers are at the peak of harvest time, and already right on the edge due to multiple previous sewage overflow incidents over a number of years,” said Ms Marcroft.

“More compensation is clearly needed. I urge Watercare to continue to work constructively with Aquaculture NZ to fully compensate these farmers for the financial hits they are repeatedly taking, and the personal toll it is taking on them and their families.

“This is devastating enough for the farmers and the local oyster industry, but the public should also be extremely concerned that their waterways are being polluted with wastewater. The sea is our food basket and our playground. No sewage should ever be flowing into it,” Ms Marcroft says.

Watercare has said it will work with Aquaculture New Zealand to reach a final resolution through an external assessment process.

Mr Sinclair said the million-dollar payment relates solely to the most recent overflow, for which Watercare has committed to make things right.

“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. We are appointing an external expert to assist us in quantifying the impact on the oyster farmers,” he said.

“I’ve written to the farmers to reiterate my apology and confirm the payment of $1 million, as well as inform them of the external assessment process. After the incident, I said we were committed to making things right, and we’ve worked quickly to turn that commitment into action.

“We know this disruption comes at a very challenging time, just as the harvest season was at its peak. Today’s payment is intended to provide immediate support, and we hope to have the assessment process complete before Christmas.”

Mr Sinclair said Watercare remains committed to learning from the incident and ensuring it cannot happen again.