The Labour Party's promise to remove the Rena wreck from Astrolabe Reef is nothing more than 'empty promises by out of town politicians”, says Tauranga MP Simon Bridges.

Labour leader David Cunliffe yesterday announced that if elected, a Labour Government will make sure the ship's owners Daina Shipping 'pay the full amount to clean up Astrolabe Reef.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges says Labour leader's David Cunliffe's claims are "empty promises".

The containership Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 25km off the coast of Tauranga, on October 5, 2011. The ship leaked more than 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the environment and broke up, spilling containers and cargo into the ocean, washing up on beaches across the Bay of Plenty.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges says the decision to remove the remaining sunken aft section is not up to the Opposition leader, or any other politician, as it will be handled independently through the Environment Court.

'I think most Tauranga people agree, as do I, that if possible the Rena should be removed from the reef unless it's unsafe or would make things environmentally worse,” says Simon.

'But it should be an Environment Court judge and not a politician who decides that on all the facts.”

The owners are expected to lodge a resource consent application with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to leave remains of the ship on the reef between the end of March and May, 2014.

Motiti Island hapu are continuing to fight to have their claim for full removal resolved this month. Ngai Te Hapu Incorporated Society lodged the Treaty claim under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 last May.

Ngai Te Hapu representative Buddy Mikaere says iwi are heartened by Labour's announcement as political calls for the wreck's removal continue to grow.

'It means that all the political parties, the Maori Party, NZ First, Labour and the Greens all support what we are trying to do,” says Buddy.

'It's just adding more to the pressure on the owners of the Rena to fully remove it.”

Simon says the status quo remains for full removal of the wreck unless deemed environmentally unsafe. He also dismisses claims the Government induced monetary opportunities to leave the wreck as total 'nonsense”.

And he believes these 'out of town” politicians have nothing more to offer the city by constantly bringing up the Rena in attempts of 'pointless posturing”.

'Winston Peters said the same thing when he was last here and they are both doing it because when they read the newspapers in Herne Bay all they think of when they think of Tauranga is this. It's what they bring up when they come here.”

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