Culture of silence or a cover-up?
‘‘MPI did extensive track and tracing of how the oyster virus got here. They also ran a compliance investigation, which is now publicly available.’’
Guy’s words don’t soothe former oyster farmer Clark, who’s seething about Sanford’s link to Cawthron.
‘‘If I had known that, I can tell you now I would have been jumping up and down and asking a hell of a lot more questions.’’
Money for molluscs
While Cawthron wouldn’t answer Newsroom’s questions, a December 2016 presentation given at its Nelson offices said the discovery of Bonamia ostreae had ‘‘major implications in terms of stock movements and therefore our research programmes’’. Research at its aquaculture park had ‘‘ceased for now’’.
That caused alarm within Cawthron, which had received millions of taxpayer dollars to pursue its aquaculture research – and a self-perpetuating dream. Ten years ago, when an estimated onethird of New Zealand’s 3.5 million farmed oysters were produced using Cawthron-produced hatchery spat, the research body’s stated aim was to ‘‘make the New Zealand shellfish industry the world’s first completely domesticated shellfish producer through production of hatchery spat’’.
That aim, which would lift in exports, gelled nicely with those of former prime minister Sir John Key, who swept to power in 2008 on a platform of lifting the country’s economic performance.
The Government wasn’t just an enabler, it picked winners and became their champion. That meant working more closely with industries. The Government was a ‘‘partner’’ making ‘‘investments’’ from contestable funds, especially those matched dollar-for-dollar by industry.
‘‘We need to sort out aquaculture and get this sector moving,’’ Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley said in 2008, while committing the Government to helping the industry achieve its target of reaching $1 billion of sales by 2025.
(Heatley’s interest in oysters even extended to the wild variety. In 2011, he gave a special permit for an extra million Bluff oysters to be pulled up for the Rugby World Cup.)
The Government-industry partnership extended to biosecurity responses. Gwyn confirmed Aquaculture New Zealand – whose funders include Sanford but not Bluff’s Rodney Clark – and the head of the ministry’s aquaculture unit were present for key decisions about the Bonamia ostreae biosecurity response. Gwyn rejects any suggestion the ministry is too close to the industry to make hard decisions.
‘‘I think depopulation in Big Glory Bay shows that, where it’s warranted, we will work incredibly hard to remove the risk and will act very decisively.’’
After the 2008 election, Government money flowed into aquaculture.
Cawthron’s $5.7 million aquaculture park, officially opened in 2011, was built with $1.7 million from the taxpayer. Two years later, Cawthron and its research partners secured $7.4 million a year for four programmes, including a seven-year commitment for its cultured shellfish programme. And in 2016, Cawthron got $5.3 million, over five years, in the Endeavour round of scientific funding to research ‘‘novel farming systems enabling multiple shellfish species culture in open ocean sites’’.
The Bonamia ostreae biosecurity threat jeopardised years of Cawthron research, backed by millions of taxpayer dollars. The tap of Government money could turn off. Cawthron’s December 2016 presentation said it would ‘‘work with MPI to find way forward to enable research’’ and consider ‘‘new options for targeted research’’.
Big Glory Bay presented that opportunity.
About five hours after the ministry announced Bonamia ostreae had been found on Stewart Island, Cawthron issued its own statement, stating its scientists were ‘‘well placed to respond’’.
‘‘There’s a need for targeted research on the New Zealand species and we hope to work with Government agencies and industry on this,’’ the institute’s aquaculture group manager Serean Adams said.
Cawthron didn’t have to wait long. In mid-September, just a week after the last of about 1500 tonnes of oysters were removed from Big Glory Bay, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment announced its $250 million Endeavour round of science projects. Cawthron received the largest pledge, $14.6 million over five years, for research into ‘‘the risk to NZ aquaculture from infectious diseases and aquatic health issues’’.
The Government had again backed one of its repeated winners, and granted money to the organisation that knew more about Bonamia ostreae, first-hand, than any other.
It’s an ironic twist not lost on former oysterman Clark.
‘‘Good grief,’’ he says, when told of the $14.6 million grant. ‘‘Now that does make me wild.’’ Stuck in a rented Bluff house, struggling to pay his company’s bills while waiting for the ministry to consider his compensation claims – he was paid out for the work of removing his farms, but no more – Clark looks back glumly as he wonders what the future holds.
‘‘I just feel like a failure. What a waste of 14 years. I could have friggin’ done something else.’’
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