Shifting the poison paradigm
WITH METHYL BROMIDE STILL IN THE news, The People’s Inquiry, Te Uiuinga a Nga Tangata online public hearing into harms from poisons took place last month after two years of planning.
Clusters of topics included: legacy Pentachlorophenol (PCP) and dioxin contamination from saw mills, aerial 1080, the impacts of horticultural spray drift, glyphosate used in farming and urban and rural weed management, industrial toxins impacting urban marae, including the neurotoxin methyl bromide from log exports and many more.
The oral testimonies were only a small proportion of the total submissions presented for the Panel of Independent Commissioners to consider, showing the Inquiry met a genuine need for people to be heard and acknowledged for their concerns about the harms from poisons.
Submitters included expertise and experiences from a wide range of individuals, local community groups, hapū, marae and national organisations demonstrating that synthetic toxic chemicals have seriously impacted a broad demographic of New Zealand society.
Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP) from Whakatane, described many timber treatment waste sites contaminated by dioxin and other lethal chemicals, which they say have caused inter-generational health problems. They have identified hundreds of similar chemically-contaminated sites throughout the country. Many negative physical and emotional health and wellbeing impacts, such as infertility, cancers and physical disabilities on individuals and whanau have now been documented, plus environmental impacts on water and ecosystems and wildlife.
Remediation efforts draw on combinations of matauranga Maori strategies with western science.
Fifteen years ago at the first People’s Inquiry 2006, the evidence on health impacts was dismissed by the then Minister of Biosecurity as “psychosomatic”. Since then, evidence of toxic chemicals causing harm to humans, wildlife and the environment has only increased, invalidating this type of diminishing of community-based evidence.
Submitters also provided evidence of system-level weaknesses such as governmental agency dysfunctions and legal regulation issues, which have increasingly shut-out communities from decision-making and consultation regarding poisoning campaigns that impact their lives. In particular, the Department of Conservation is “consulting” with crown-appointed Iwi Trust boards instead of local hapū with mana whenua over areas proposed to be aerially dropped with 1080.
The four Independent Commissioners questioned and engaged empathically with the people giving testimony. They have a significant task over the coming months studying all the submissions and producing a report with their findings and recommendations. The Commissioners have diverse and relevant expertise so their recommendations will carry considerable weight. The Committee anticipates preliminary findings to be released in December 2021, with a full report in the Autumn.
The organisers of the People’s Inquiry are optimistic that the success of the Hearings, the weight of evidence gathered, together
with additional support offered, will provide strong reasons for Aotearoa to urgently shift the paradigm, saying: “Aotearoa New Zealand’s wilful blindness and normalisation of poisons needs to move away from use of chemicals, towards a more sustainable future which focuses on the health of our soils, water, ecosystems and all the people - especially our future generations. We succeeded collectively with nuclear-free, now is the time for poison-free. Good for our health and good for our economy!”