The environmental effects of Tauranga City Council's dune spraying programme don't match the city vision, according to residents calling council to account.

Resident Sue Furey says the dune spraying programme is not protecting public health and is killing off the dune's ecosystem.

Residents are concerned about council's dune spraying programme they believe is destroying the dune's ecosystem.

'The dunes have been annihilated,” says Sue in her submission to council's draft annual plan.

'We have found dead birds. All of the bees and butterflies have gone, as have the skylarks and wax eyes. I have not seen a skink in over eight months.

'Native lizards and skinks are protected under the wildlife Act. Is TCC exempt from this act?”

Sue argues the dune spraying programme developed in the last 18 months with the intention of replacing the mixed plant life with natives, is neither urgent, nor important.

'It's a nice to have idea, but the dunes were actually fine,” says Sue.

'The public health is at risk especially for those of us living close to all this spraying, and there was abundant bird and insect life in the dunes, which has been adversely affected.”

Oceanbeach Road resident Antje Lankenau says the council's continued use of toxic agri-chemicals being used to eliminate introduced plant species is against the council's own policy.

'We are not aware of any of the plant species being eradicated are classified as pests in the register of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council,” says Antje's submission.

The council is also in breach of its policy's prime objective of protecting public health, says Antje.

At present all life is being sprayed out of the dunes area; trees including mature Norfolk Pines, bees, bumble bees, butterflies, stick insects and birds, including kingfishers, tui and sky larks, have all disappeared.

After recent spraying, Antje says she found three dead sparrows near Oceanbeach Road, she believes died as a result of spraying.

'They had been feeding on what was growing in the sand dunes,” says Antje.

'They have been spraying ice plants, which have to be taken out by hand. The spray is still on there. The community service workers are sent there and they touch all this stuff. The spray takes months to break down.

'I don't think it is a very good place to go on with spraying, I don't see why we have to put up with it.”

The spay drifts along the gardens and into homes badly affecting people with respiratory illness, migraines and other health issues, says Antje.

If noxious plants have to be removed, they would be removed by digging them out.

There is also confusion between the dune zones, with both the city council and regional council claiming responsibility over part of the dunes, but with neither being able to clearly define their area of responsibility.

Antje suggests the current method of heavy spraying and later removal benefits only the contractor. The more time it takes, and the more spray that is used, the better the profit.

She submits that a gardening contractor could take the plants out in the same or shorter amount of time and dispose of them elsewhere.

Replanting could be done as part of the same process, because they would not have to wait for toxic substances in the soil to recede.

She suggests the council trial an approach that gives a contractor responsibility for a section of the dunes and specify the desired result to be achieved in a certain timeframe. It would improve public health and that of the environment while saving costs, says Antje.