In her column in The Weekend Sun on February 12, Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Jane Nees claims iwi, Waikato University, regional council and a whole host of others are working together to work out what is wrong with our waterways and harbour.

Five years ago a consortium of similar groups with the lead agency being Massey University and Cawthorne Institute together with iwi were funded $6.5 million to do the same thing and surprise, surprise – they've just been awarded a rollover on this contract. All to find out what is wrong with our harbour and waterways. Thus far no findings have been tabled other than more studies are needed.

For my two bobs worth the answer is simple: Stop pouring poisons into it. The kaimoana, if you are lucky enough or brave enough to eat it, has been replaced with sea lettuce and the whenua is pirau with poisons. The Spray of Plenty is more appropriate as far as our clean green image goes.

When will these same well paid councillors and consortiums start demanding testing of our whenua and moana for residues from intensive agri-chemical spraying?

Probably less expensive to pay off the scientists than it is to reveal the truth about the real cost to the next generation from short-term bottomline gain over long-term pirau whenua and moana pain.

Profit before people is the price we are all paying.

T Wilson, Te Puna.

Jane Nees reposnds:

It is true that a lot of research and monitoring is being done on the health of Tauranga Harbour. However, the results of this work is readily available and it is being used to design work programmes to progressively improve harbour health.

It is worth looking at the Bay of PLenty Regional Council website where all the relevant reports can be found. They show that commonly used beaches in Tauranga Harbour generally have good water quality although some areas become unsafe for swimming after heavy or prolonged rain. They indicate the harbour bed is generally in good health except for localised ‘hot-spots' around stormwater outfalls and some areas where intense urban development is having a negative impact on wildlife.

Studies have been done on pollutants impacting on the harbour including a targeted survey undertaken of herbicide and pesticides contaminants in sheltered sub-estuaries of Tauranga Harbour with significant horticultural/agricultural land use. This showed only very low levels present which indicated that there is not likely to be any lethal toxicity effects on benthic macrofauna occurring as a result of agrichemical contamination, particularly in the more open areas of the harbour.

The combined Tauranga Harbour work programme between Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council for 2015/2016 totals an eye-popping $35.9 million. This includes projects for stormwater, wastewater, sediment management, pollution prevention, sea lettuce removal, stream and erosion works - to name just a few - all with the sustainable future of the harbour in mind.

Jane Nees, Bay of Plenty regional councillor.