Mayors seek answer to toxic waste storage

Southern mayors have requested an urgent meeting with Government ministers to discuss the thousands of tonnes of waste stored in Southland buildings.

Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks, chair of the Southland Mayor Forum, wrote to the finance and environment ministers just before Christmas seeking an urgent meeting to discuss what assistance the Government was willing to provide.

He has received an acknowledgement of his letter but no meet- ing has yet been arranged.

‘‘I am expecting, when they get back into gear we will hear from them.’’

Hicks said the Gore District Council was doing everything in its power to ensure the removal of ouvea premix stored in the former Mataura paper mill.

The resource consent for the storage of 10,000 tonnes of the oxide residue expired at midnight last night.

Its owner, Taha Asia Pacific Ltd, went into liquidation in 2016 and last month the liquidator formally disclaimed the substance as ‘‘onerous property’’.

Hicks said the council had been working with other parties to find a permanent solution for the removal of the premix.

‘‘Our focus has been and will continue to be the protection of the community and environment.

‘‘Ultimately we want to see the premix gone from Mataura. However, it will take time.’’

Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry said the council would be taking a twopronged approach to dealing with the issue.

At an urgent meeting on Wednesday, senior councillors resolved that, subject to confir- mation from its legal advisers, the council would seek a declaration from the Environment Court as to who was responsible for the storage of the premix.

The council was also in discussions with a company that proposes to remove and dispose of the premix offshore.

Parry said there was an offer on the table but there was a cost involved and the council would be working with other interested parties to secure a funding package.

‘‘We have to remember this is not just a Mataura or Gore District Council problem, it’s a Southland problem.’’

The 10,000 tonnes in Mataura is part of an estimated 35,000 tonnes being stored at several sites in Southland, including Invercargill.

Gore District Council regulatory and planning general manager Ian Davidson-Watts said from a regulatory viewpoint, the council’s priority was to resolve the question of responsibility for storage of the premix.

‘‘Unless there is a catastrophic flood, there are no safety or environmental issues.’’

The council would continue to monitor ammonia levels and flood protection measures would remain in place, he said.