Mount Maunganui residents are heading to the beach to remove oil washed up there from the leaking shipwreck Rena.
This goes against the Maritime New Zealand appeals for people to leave the job to their trained teams.
Members of the beach clean up team contracted by Maritime New Zealand to pick up oil off the shore of Mount Maunganui Beach.
MNZ national on scene commander Rob Service says the oil is toxic and people should keep clear of the beaches.
'Use your common sense. Don't pick it up. Don't play with it.”
MNZ is relying on surf clubs, the Tauranga City Council and media to warn people off the beaches.
Mount Surf Club lifeguards are roping off sections of the beach covered in oil.
Besides surf club personnel there is no manned presence on the beach and today about 100 people ventured onto the sand to clean up oil and hundreds more visited to look.
Among them was Michelle Forsyth, who has lived in Mount Maunganui for 10 years and says the beach is her playground and she cannot stand by and watch the pollution occur.
'This is my paradise, it is where I surf and play. It is just as important to me as myself.
'People are spending too much time in their offices when they need to be down here cleaning up.”
Mount Maunganui resident Michelle Forsyth has shoveled buckets of oil from Mount Maunganui beach into wheelbarrows.
Michelle says a text message sent out to a group of friends this morning initiated the clean up effort and says the group will be back at the beach tomorrow.
'We will be back until it is all gone.”
Conrad Cranfield, a Mount Maunganui resident, brought his bucket, spade and gloves down to the beach.
'This is where I surf, fish and swim. I am down at the beach three times a day. We are trying to help clean this stuff up.”
Jake King, 13, picks up a cluster of oil found washed up on Mount Maunganui Beach. Authorities say kitchen gloves are not a strong enough protection.
Public Health medical officer of health Dr Jim Miller says the oil is toxic and remedies to exposure include simply washing it off with soap and water and breathing some fresh air.
He does warn, however, there is a chance of allergic reaction with symptoms of rashes possible and that it should not be ingested.
Rob Service says the shore clean up needs to be managed by trained staff and it is due to commence at full capacity on Tuesday morning when the tide is out.
He says it is inefficient to collect the first washed-up oil as an incoming tide pushes oil onto the beach and further up it.
'It's best to wait until there is a reasonable accumulation of oil.”
MNZ environment advisor Leigh Stevens says toxicity of the washed-up oil is not greatly increased by emergency responders' earlier application of the dispersant Corexit 9500.
'It is 10-20 per cent less toxic than dishwasher liquid.”
Jared Fluerty, Jahna Tekani and Corey Fluerty near the oil washed up on Mount Maunganui Beach.
There are 10 teams ready to commence the beach clean up in the morning and the New Zealand Defence Force has 500 personnel on standby to assist if the incident escalates.
Today two teams of 10 Maritime New Zealand workers scoured Mount Maunganui Main Beach collecting oil in black bags and transporting it to the high tide line for removal.
More oil is expected to wash ashore this week, with it likely to spread further south than Mount Maunganui.
MNZ assessments show Papamoa Beach will see oil wash ashore and it could be as far south as the Maketu estuary.
Special booms are in place to help prevent oil entering this estuary.
10 comments
Why be afraid of local help
Posted on 10-10-2011 22:25 | By JSmithington
Some of these bureaucrats need to get a life and accept that locals will want to help and are quite capable of helping with the clean up. If the Captain Mannerings are so concerned they should provide gloves and bags for the volunteers to use. Maybe that's too practical.
Posted on 10-10-2011 23:10 | By crazysteed
Come on the loacls are out there doing the job, two teams crap more like fours guys in white overalls with two black plastic bags nobody else, the loacls are the ones that are running the show nobody else I was down at the beach and it was all local people with spades and buckets and the odd wheel barrow but no PROS
Showing The Care
Posted on 11-10-2011 07:03 | By tabatha
MNZ needs to realise they are in a very caring community that feels strongly about the environment, especially beaches, that is around them. They should of had people down on the beach telling people what to do rather than saying from a comfortable room we clean up tomorrow. The old saying tomorrow never comes. People walk the beaches everyday in this area and they want to be able to continue doing it, hence the need for clean up. Prior to Rena going aground any particular day would have seen lots of people of all ages out. Come on MNZ recognise the area and respond like wise. I would hate to see someone needing treatment because of lack of knowledge.
Toxic ! Yea Right !
Posted on 11-10-2011 07:57 | By Zara
This is a very similar product to tar which is used in school playgrounds and roads all over New Zealand. This is why it hardens when it cools and they are in no hurry to pick it up. If it was that toxic in its hardened state then the beach would be awash with dead shellfish and the seabirds that eat them.It is more about the powers that be justifying their existence.I worked at Shell oil came into contact with it many times loading and unloading ships with no particular precautions other than gloves as it was hard to get from under your fingernails. Im still alive many years later............
What?
Posted on 11-10-2011 12:45 | By Kin
Hardens when it cools? It's been in the drink for 6 days. It's hardly a jacuzzi. If that were the case they should use it to fill the potholes on Fraser Street. Win Win. That said, it does look easy to pick up. Unless it's a dog turd that boy has in his hands? There's plenty of it on the beach.
Shifting sand
Posted on 11-10-2011 12:49 | By Shifting sand
At least the locals are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work!! Where are the 200 officials based at the command post running the show? Too busy eating Happy Meals and pies? Get off your bums and grab a shovel!!
Please wear protective gear!
Posted on 11-10-2011 14:59 | By Calm Gully
Great effort from the locals BUT they need to wear protective gear - shoes, clothing and even masks. Read about the toxins in the stuff that has been sprayed and who know what is in the oil. Stay safe - the side effects sound horrible!
Wow
Posted on 11-10-2011 15:25 | By sojourner
If it is so toxic, why is the life guard boy not wearing shoes? Duh.
MNZ relying on TCC for help !!!!!
Posted on 11-10-2011 17:15 | By Ross01
If this fiasco follows the RWC fiasco the TCC should just about get into gear as the cleanup finishes. PLEASE can we have a council with some get up and go ( probably not born here and without a retirement village mentality).
Oil information.
Posted on 11-10-2011 23:48 | By nick360
This oil is crude oil witch is unrefined. it has to be heated to around 40 degree temperature just to run. also it will start to smell bad the longer it sit's there and you will never get it out of clothes. it is verry toxic you should not get this oil on ur skin it is verry hard to get off. and it is better to get it off the beach before the sun comes out and heat's this stuff up you wont be able to breathe on the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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