BUFFER ZONES ROUND LAKES, RIVERS AND STREAMS NO LONGER A REQUIREMENT AT 1080 POISON DROPS
By Carol Sawyer
Someone has just asked me if having GPS in a helicopter means 1080 poison baits do not need to be dropped into waterways – i.e.that streams and waterways could be avoided.
Well, yes, but ag pilots tell me, and Murray Dench also explains this quite well in the post below) that, even with GPS, bait-dropping can only be accurate with some certainty to within a minimum of 200 metres, and even then, so-called ” overflies” happen (i.e. baits land outside the drop zone).
A good example of an “overfly” was the Kepler Mountains drop at Lake Manapouri in Spring 2016 when a 200 ha area outside the drop zone was covered in 1080 baits by HeliOtago.
(Even though protestors were initially blamed for this, HeliOtago later admitted the cause was that their pilots were under pressure to finish the job).
However the new government rules are that NO stream or waterway needs to be avoided by helicopters dropping 1080 poison, so the question of GPS accuracy and bait-dropping is somewhat academic!
Even when buffer zones are set around waterways, they tend to be woefully inadequate. In Febuary 2017, at the 1080 poison drop at Makarora, a 20 metre buffer zone was applied to the Makarora and Wilkin Rivers, yet baits were found in these rivers after the poison drop.
Below is Murray Dench’s report:
DROPPING 1080 POISON FROM THE SKY IS NOT AN ACCURATE PROCESS
In 2007, following the ERMA Review, Murray Dench wrote to Andrea Eng, General Manager Hazardous Substances, ERMA on Differential Global Positioning Systems with regard to dropping 1080 baits. What he wrote is very interesting. Here it is :
“The distribution of the baits from a helicopter is far from certain. While DGPS has allowed more accurate placement of the aircraft there are other factors involved :-
1. The groundspeed of the machine during the delivery run.
Over level terrain this is quite easily controlled but over steep terrain (where the helicopter is most ‘useful’) every act of climbing and descending to match the contour changes the ground speed.
This is difficult to control because the pilot (if he’s smart) will be concentrating on terrain avoidance and personal welfare to the detriment of accurate groundspeed monitoring.
Another negative factor is wind speed and its degree of crosswind (or even tail wind) component. Again, in level terrain the crosswind component is relatively constant and can be allowed for but in broken country wind changes are legendary including lift, lee turbulence, rotor action, and a raft of others which sensible pilots do their best to avoid.
The changing wind speeds and directions rapidly change the aircrafts airspeed indication for which the pilot must compensate to maintain the target groundspeed. It also rapidly changes the aircraft direction of travel and rate of climb which has to be constantly corrected. When you combine terrain avoidance with constant altitude changes and violently changing wind speed and direction it is not hard to see that accurate distribution of baits is not likely.
2. The height of the machine above the ground during the delivery run.
It is assumed that the hopper delivery system is designed to produce a certain pattern on the ground when delivered from a certain height. If the delivery is from a lesser height then the pattern will not have reached its full dimension and a narrow strip of high bait concentration will be laid. If the delivery is from a greater height than the target then the delivery pattern may be wider with reduced bait density. If delivery from the ideal height results in the baits falling vertically downwards then distribution from a greater height is okay except that the baits are longer in the air and are therefore more susceptible to wind currents moving them out of the intended delivery zone. Trying to maintain an accurate height above ground in steep and broken country while trying to maintain groundspeed and avoid terrain creates a scenario ripe for failure.
3. Accurate delivery relies on the baits exiting the hopper and dropping onto the spinning distribution disc at a constant rate.
This is highly unlikely. The greater the head (weight) of baits in the hopper the greater is the pressure available to push the bottom baits out. As the hopper level reduces the pressure reduces and so the flow of baits also reduces. It is possible that there is some compensation for this negative affect provided by the reducing friction losses against the hopper walls as the hopper level falls but given slippery carrots and free flowing cereal baits it is hard to imagine this mitigation being enough. It is a pretty safe bet that the distribution density of baits at the start of a run is greater than at the end.
4. Overlap.
If a circle of material is continuously dropped while in motion then the path along the centre line of the circle will receive twice as much material as the edges. This is because the material which is thrown forward is added to by the material which is thrown backwards over exactly the same path whereas the material thrown to the extreme edges cannot be duplicated. This provides a distribution pattern with the highest concentration along the centreline of the direction of travel gradually reducing to the minimum distribution density along both edges. It is not possible to produce an even distribution density from a moving 360° rotating disc. It is assumed the applicators mitigate against this effect by overlapping each delivery run so the low distribution density strips along the edges are ‘double dosed’ to achieve the target density.
Again it is assumed this need to overlap is programmed into the tracks to be flown under GPS guidance but is another error inherent in the entire delivery system.
Unintended by-kill is closely correlated with bait distribution.
Having a DGPS in the cockpit of the delivery aircraft is certainly a help but many other factors need assessment and controls added to improve the chance of accurate delivery. ERMA failed to investigate and understand the variables associated with bait delivery and how poor distribution might easily result and instead nominated DGPS as a ‘cure all’ which it cannot be.”
Look closely at the photo above in the header image and you will see baits flying in all directions. This helicopter is low to the bush. Imagine that same helicopter at height and you can start to realize the inaccuracy of a bait drop.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are calling this fake news, it is DoC info acquired by OIA, in which case you are calling DoC’s own info fake.
Commiserations also to the bee keepers. I know this is not good news for you & your income. I have already been told by one bee keeper (a reliable source) who wishes to remain anonymous, that DoC dropped 1080 near their hives & cost them thousands of dollars. They could find no successful avenue of redress against DoC, none at all. By all accounts it sounded very deliberate & were it accidental there should have been some kind of compensation or insurance one would think? All I can say is folk need to be aware and protect themselves by using the precautionary principle.
EWR
Evidence: POISONING bees and the Manuka honey industry. NZ’s Dept of Conservation try to wriggle around the fact that 1080 is an insecticide – but DOC even registered it as such in NZ as wasp bait. And here we have evidence of honeybees gathering poison. NZ has NO accredited test for 1080 in honey. Do you feel safe eating honey now? Tell DOC by email enquiries@doc.govt.nz
Is 1080 an insecticide? Here is the registration data for 1080 insect bait:
Name:Fish paste containing 10 g sodium fluoroacetate/kgCAS Number:Synonyms:1.0% 1080 Wasp Paste, 1080Approval number:HSR002425. 1080 also sold in peanut butter paste as well as pellets. Check out the factory website www.pestoff.co.nz
1080 takes 1.5 to 2 hours to kill bees, enough to complete about 4 foraging trips.
(Above) 6 bees photographed feeding on poisoned blood pouring out cows nose = 1080 poison. Mapara South Road, NZ. Bees fed for 6 days from 14th September 2018.
(Above) 1 honeycomb tested Landcare Research Tongariro National Park 0.0046 ppm 1080 poison 2002 – 7 years after 1080 jam banned.
2 honeycomb samples tested LR Lab Tongariro National Park 0.009 ppm 1080 poison 2003 – 8 years after 1080 jam banned. No further 1080 tests despite this obvious threat to consumers.
Other toxins found in bees from DOC “pest control” operations.
32 dead bees, washed prior to analysis 7.86 ug/g pindone
37 dead bees, washed prior to analysis 4.03 ug/g pindone
52 dead bees, washed prior to analysis 3.64 ug/g pindone
25 live bees, washed prior to analysis 0.74 ug/g pindone
1 of 2 bees found dead 90.3 ug/g pindone
The highest concentration of 1080 detected in the honey was 15 ppb and subsequent tests showed a gradual decay down to 3 ppb after 59 days. The honey source that the samples were taken from would have eventually gone on sale after 16 weeks, hence there would not have been any detectable level of 1080 in the sale product, although under different circumstances, this time could be considerably shorter. Zero studies were done to see if the 1080 samples “lost” 1080 due to the toxin binding to the plastic sample pots – 1080 is well known for binding. What this could mean is the samples tested lower over time while the drums of honey remained high and were then sold.
1080 IN HONEY FROM POSSUM BAITS RAHOTU – TARANAKI Murray Lowe HEALTH PROTECTION OFFICER TARANAKI HEALTHCARE
No we are not terrorists we are ENVIRONMENTALISTS who don’t want to be poisoned. Love this video … says it all. Thanks Benny Rebel. EWR
We live together and everybody lives downstream
We live together and everybody lives downstream
One people One Planet One Circumstance
One home One love One second chance
And they call you an activist
Call you a radical
And they call you a terrorist
because you want your drinking water clean
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
“Landcare Research maintains a national database of vertebrate pesticide residue test results, from samples of plants, soil and animal tissue and corresponding background information submitted to its Toxicology Laboratory at Lincoln.”
Lawyer Sue Grey and Regional Councillor Kathy White have obtained information via an OIA request from Landcare Research that confirms after 50 years of extensive application of 1080 poison (a Class 1A Ecotoxin) to NZ’s environment that 1080 is well established in our food chain. Water content has trebled in the past five years. Were it not for this info request we would all of course be none the wiser which is why it is advisable that you exercise the precautionary principle with regards to the food that you eat.
This is what Landcare’s website says regarding testing information. https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/…/s…/advice-and-protocols
There is no effective antidote for 1080 poisoning in humans. A retired NZ MD Charles Baycroft has kindly & bravely told us that 1080 poisoning won’t be found because MDs are not allowed to look for it. Neither are you allowed to do an epidemiological study into its effects on humans. So if you die of it the good Doctor said, nobody will know. EWR
Midstream of an article further down here about a Labrador pet poisoned in the Hunua Ranges are the related links to the topic of 1080. ‘Council approves’ … ‘Kiwi repopulate’ and ‘bid to stop’ 1080 drop. The Kiwi repopulate one is pretty strategic or yes, could be random. Putting the positive shine on a sad topic however it ‘justifies’ the drops in the mind of you the reader. Since your government does not exercise the precautionary principle with 1080, you may like to familiarize yourself with the many things you aren’t being told by your ‘protection’ authorities or mainstream media, contained in the following six articles:
Hunua Ranges is the catchment area for Auckland city’s water supply
With the Hunua Ranges 1080 drop about to happen following a brief foray in court to stop it, where the judge deemed it should go ahead anyway in spite of 19 Doctors writing to the government cautioning about health risks. Not to mention DoC’s lawyers asking that their scientist not be cross examined… how dodgy is that? They just plow on regardless & ignore the voice of the people. Getting very fascist isn’t it?
Remember this post on social media? September just gone? QUOTE:
“I was there last week Doc wouldn’t let our lawyer cross examine their scientists and court allowed that. Lawyer won hands down against doc They couldn’t prove 1080 safety…..TOTAL CORRUPTION
Our lawyer proved by DoC’s own files they were lying …but we LOST”
NOTE: SINCE THIS POSTED, I’VE HEARD THE DROP IS NOT GOING AHEAD AT THIS STAGE. STILL IN COURT…. (PS 19/1/2019 … it DID of course go ahead).
Why do they not want their scientist cross examined? Couldn’t stand the heat? Don’t have the back up science for their data? Could be anybody’s guess but certainly not rocket science. Whatever side of the fence you sit on the 1080 issue, this is about justice of which there appears to be very little these days, remembering Graeme Sturgeon for instance & his ‘win’ that left him with $23K court costs. Looking from afar here we are being sent a very clear message which I’m sure you can figure out for yourselves.
THE INCREDIBLE LETTER BELOW HAS BEEN PREPARED BY DOCTORS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT 1080 POISON BEING DEPOSITED IN DRINKING WATER
Open letter to the Government, Friday, 21st September 2018.
As doctors, we are extremely concerned about the health risk of depositing poisoned bait over 22,500 hectares of the Hunua water catchment area. Specifically, we are concerned about Sodium Fluoroacetate (SMFA / 1080), a known deadly poison which is known to cause sub-lethal effects on reproduction and is classified as a teratogen, having potential to contaminate the Auckland water supply.
This statement is made within correspondence in 1994 by an Eltham resident (NZ) to a US manufacturer of 1080 (details supplied in the document at the end of the article). The person was trying to ascertain the level of risk to environment and health regarding an imminent drop of 1080 poison into a Taranaki National Park.
It is interesting to note that the replies to all the risks the person raises in their questions are risks that are now deemed quite safe & have become normalized (to the authorities at least that is – many people are now very concerned, witness the recent hikoi & continual NZ wide protests going on).
Here are the questions and answers enlarged for reading:
The Auckland Council stated in its pacifying document that it used “highly accurate GPS application technology to apply bait”.
The truth is that GPS technology was used to ensure every stream and watercourse within the drop boundaries were spread with 1080 poison.
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service set conditions “to protect human health”, and also helped with the “drinking water monitoring plan”, stated Auckland Council in a project document. However, it’s sobering to note that in 2008 the Ministry of Health stated “To date there are no known epidemiological studies that have been carried out in relation to 1080 and potential adverse health effects on humans.” It’s now 2016, and still no studies on chronic impacts have been done, but the areas the poison is being dropped into our environment continues to increase ….
The 23,000 hectare parklands had just reopened that day after being closed for an aerial drop of 1080, or sodium fluoroacetate, in bait form as part an extensive pest eradication scheme.
Auckland Council’s operation lead Rachel Kelleher said although a rigorous track clearance programme was completed, and warning signs erected, “it is possible that dogs could come into contact with baits and carcasses if not closely supervised”.
Cara’s father said he did not note any warning signs driving in to the suspension bridge track parking lot, and didn’t keep her on a lead.
“She was in my sight all the time, but she was deviating one to two metres from the path.
“When we got home we saw that she had been vomiting a very bright-green substance with small dark blue granules.”
On the way to the Manukau After Hours Veterinary Clinic, she had a convulsion. She was given sedative, but it wasn’t enough to stop the fits.
The veterinary clinic’s practice manager, Jedda Ford said it appeared she had ingested a very large dose of poison, but couldn’t be sure if it was slug bait or 1080 – a sample had been collected for testing.
“The vet said there was a 5-10 per cent chance she would live and almost a 100 per cent chance she would have brain damage,” he said.
Essi was put to sleep on humane grounds.
Cara Popping said the family was beyond devastated.
“Everyone was her best friend; She was the most beautiful dog in the world,” her father said.
But the family weren’t interested in placing blame, or joining sides in the 1080 debate – they simply wanted to warn other dog owners to exercise caution around the Hunua Ranges.
“We’d hate for another family to got through the same heartbreak as we have,” Popping said.
The official Auckland Council advice is to keep dogs on a leash around in drop areas – and keep dogs well fed and hydrated.
Remember what NZ’s retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′. There is no evidence of 1080 poisoning he says, because it is not allowed to be looked for. EWR
Heart disease and Cancer dominate mortality in Whanganui where the Government owned 1080 poison factory used to burn 1080 to dispose before residents complained about the smell of toxic fumes. Eighty tonnes gets buried there and they signed off by digging up some baits that are well known to leach and then called that environmental testing. USA EPA have proved 1080 binds specifically and doesn’t flush off with water meanwhile Landcare have never tested for adsorption of 1080 to sand.. they don’t have an accredited test for gravel either. Take a look at where they buried 80 tonnes of baits that were defective due to moisture in the grains.. not because of defective 1080.. the place is coastal so has sandy soils. What monitoring of the local people’s health has been done to see if there is a link.. none. That’s the quality of the science here in New Zealand.
RELATED:Transforming a Whanganui wasteland to a wetland
Lawyer, Sue Grey testifies to a number of unlawful acts of the crown and its contractors who have been aerially spreading deadly poison, called 1080, on DOC land, Maori Land and private land. Sue and her team has identified over 10 possible legal challenges involving apparent criminal or civil breaches of statutory obligations by DoC, OSPRI and/or poison contractors. Sue Grey testified on June 23, 2019 before the ITNJ Commission of Inquiry into Weaponisation of the Biosphere. Watch all the Indonesia Seatings at https://commission.itnj.org Help continue this work and expose the next phase of expert witness testimonies. http://www.itnj.org
“Sue Grey Testimony on New Zealand’s Ecocide with the use of 1080 Poison
The ITNJ opens its Commission of Inquiry into the Weaponisation of the Biosphere with stunning testimony from New Zealand expert witness Sue Grey, in what she describes as ‘ecocide’ and ‘a war on nature’.
A lawyer and activist with multiple science degrees and over 30 years’ experience in environmental health policy, Sue testifies to the devastation being caused to New Zealand’s native wildlife and ecosystems through the systematic and widespread aerial poisoning with the chemical Sodium Fluoroacetate, commonly known as “1080” Poison.
Four hundred million 1080 pellets (enough to kill over a hundred million people) will be spread by helicopter this year over much of the country’s land and waterways, in a longstanding Crown sponsored program, its stated purpose: to preserve native wildlife by eradicating non-native stoats and rats. However, the cereal baits attract many other species of insects, birds, and mammals, contaminating the food chain and cruelly killing thousands of “non-target” species including deer, farmed stock and dogs. There has been a drastic impact on Kea (native parrots) and cereal baits are known to poison many other species of native bird including iconic Kiwi and Weka.
Birds and animals can be poisoned by eating the bait directly, drinking from poisoned waterways, or by feeding on the carcasses of poisoned animals. Evidence also exists that 1080 has made it its way up the food chain into wild pork, farmed cows and honey, and is also suspected to have poisoned humans, many of whom Grey has represented.
Despite many years of campaigning, lawsuits, public outcry, and official statistics that prove its catastrophic failure, the New Zealand government refuses to take responsibility and bring an end to the serious threats posed by this program to New Zealand’s ecosystem and its inhabitants.
ABOUT THE ITNJ: The ITNJ is the world’s first people-powered tribunal that operates independently of governments and corporations, and is therefore willing to issue rulings against those organizations based on Natural Law, where agents of governments and/or corporations have caused harm or loss to living men and women, and in this case, matters that relate to the weaponization of our biosphere and the existential ecocide and genocidal threat against humanity.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: commission.itnj.org CONTACT:press@itnj.org
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ITNJ, PLEASE SEE: www.itnj.org / itnjcommittee.org
FOR PRINT QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS PLEASE CONTACT: media@itnj.org
Marcus James talks to Jim Hilton about Health effects of 1080 on the unborn fetus and how pregnant women are not warned by the health boards in areas where there are drops or by DoC not to drink the water or be in the area because of dust residue/particulate matter.
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Recent information from Animal Control Products Ltd is that DoC buy between 30% and 50% of their 1080 product every year, that OSPRI and regional councils account for another 40%, and (presumably) ZIP and Predator Free NZ account for the rest…. between 10% and 30%.
As DoC have produced maps showing they intend to be covering 1.124 million ha with aerial 1080 this year, at a rate of 1.5 to 2 kgs per ha, and even if they account for a 50% buy-up of the poison, we can safely assume a total of about 4,000 tonnes of 1080 poison baits will be spread on our land this year.
That is 6,000kgs of pure 1080 poison (at the standard 0.15% pure poison per bait rate).. So at an LD50 of 0.5mg per kg bodyweight that means 35mg can kill a 70kg human being. That works out to be theoretically enough 1080 dropped on NZ this year to poison 171,428,571 x 70kg people, with half of them, 85,714,285, having a lethal dose!
LD50 : [ Based on fatal or near-fatal cases of human poisonings, the dangerous dose for humans is 0.5-2.0 mg/kg BW (Negherbon 1959)]
(LD50 stands for Lethal Dose 50 – killing with poison is not an exact science so an LD50 is used, which means that one can assume 50% of the people poisoned will die. It doesn’t mean the other 50% get off scot-free!)
Photo credit: supplied by Carol Sawyer
If you are new to NZ’s 1080 poisoning program here is a good article to start with …
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. Check out also 1080science.co.nz for the independent science.
There has been much discussion about the helicopters used in HeliOtago’s 1080 drops being also used as rescue helicopters for the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust.
Some people have said that toxic 1080 dust can not get into the helicopters because the blades push the dust down and away from the machines. I have been sent this film by a heli pilot who says this is not so and comments : “From about 2.50 in on this clip, has speed up so vortex is left behind, but at lower speeds it comes back through disc.”
Go to about 2.00 in this film and have a look and imagine it is lethal 1080 dust and not fertiliser. You will be horrified !
Other pilots have told me it is impossible to completely decontaminate a helicopter of 1080 dust – bad for helicopter pilots, helicopter maintenance staff, and PATIENTS – and any passengers actually. Don’t get into a 1080 poison helicopter if you can avoid it !
Remember, this is what Milford local Sacha Stevenson recently wrote to DoC about. No warning signs for tourists. Turns out they won’t be putting any up about the water, just the usual signs with the skull on to warn them since they haven’t resources to put signs up in every tourist’s language. Signs will only indicate pellets, not the risk of water contamination. And the other rationale cited, that it’s ‘extremely unlikely’ the water will be poisoned. Whatever happened to the precautionary principle? Not good enough. EWR
By Carol Sawyer Video by Shane Wilson
“Oh well”, says the NZ government, “They’re Chinese. They don’t know any different. What do we care?!”
It’s appalling actually. No self-respecting Kiwi (on second thoughts there might be a few) would drink out of those creeks in the middle of a 1080 poison drop – or afterwards. Shane Wilson watched as four busloads of tourists stopped there on “Aerial 1080 Poison Day” and filled up their water bottles. They probably thought the helicopters were taking tourists for a joyride! Shane tried to warn some of them but they didn’t understand him.
Department of Conservation reports of a rat explosion in the Northern Ruahine Ranges defy credibility and show the department was “out of its depth” in wilderness management according to a sporting hunters’ organisation.
Laurie Collins spokesman for the Sporting Hunters Conservation Outdoor Trust (SCHOT) said research had shown that following aerial drops of 1080 poison, the 20 percent surviving rats with much reduced food competition exploded in numbers. He cited Ruscoe’s research in 2008 “Interaction of Mammalian Pest Populations following Control” that showed rats recover quickly and increase quickly so within 18 months rat numbers would be two to three times greater than before poisoning operations.
And ‘long’ it has been. What the Herald failed to mention is that her Doctor suspected 1080 poisoning which is why he asked for her heart to be tested. Please read our earlier article on this … the Doctor was in effect stone walled which confirms Dr Baycroft’s information (see below).
Have you ever heard of a lab losing a human heart before?
This is horrible beyond imagination for this family. And it sounds extremely suspicious doesn’t it? This family was paid absolutely no respect in this. Not by the authorities anyway. Remember what retired Doctor Charles Baycroft has told us recently… ‘if you die from 1080 poisoning nobody will know’ because Doctors he said are not allowed to look for it, and they are bullied into not testing. Word has it that the leaves in the area where Whitney walked that day were smeared with 1080 gel, a highly concentrated application.
The NZ authorities do not practice the precautionary principle with the spreading of 1080 poison people. In fact they are now legally allowed to drop it into your waterways without the previously required consents, even though the manufacturer’s warning says take care not to drop it into the waterways. Whilst they continue to claim it is harmless, there is much independent research that says otherwise. (See 1080science for further independent info). In light of that, in my opinion it is safer to follow the precautionary principle, that is, proceed as if there were a possible risk to your health rather than assume there is none. EWR
The family of an American backpacker whose heart went missing after she died suddenly in Queenstown last month face a long wait.
The Auckland District Health Board is investigating the disappearance of 23-year-old Whitney Robie’s heart from LabPlus, the hospital’s pathology laboratory.
Miss Robie collapsed while watching TV at Deco Backpackers in Queenstown on May 15 and died shortly afterwards despite efforts to revive her.
“I USED TO HAVE A HUGE FLOCK OF KEA AROUND MY FARM DOWN THE WEST COAST…
..and when they did a big 1080 drop, maybe 12 or 15 years ago, they completely wiped this flock of several hundred, possibly as many as a thousand, Kea out in one fell swoop. They were all dead within days. The tops around the farm were from that point on, until I sold it and left, were silent.
Also all the bush falcons get wiped out in the bush, harrier hawks, etc…
the destruction that it causes is incredible.
Whenever you do a survey in the bush after a big 1080 drop you will find all sorts of dead birds, including the insect-eating birds.”
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′.
Finally a note re commenting:
Whilst your comments are welcome, this is a venue for independent info. Please discuss/debate your pro poison thoughts in mainstream where they’re welcomed & independent info is not. You will find the independent science at 1080science.co.nz Or search other articles in categories at the top, left hand side of the page.
The following article appeared in the Christchurch Press in January 2002. What’s intriguing is how the British team quickly identified indicators of an industry built on poison, and how their story echoes the voice of 1000’s of New Zealanders across the country – even after the ERMA reassessment of 1080 poison in 2007…Poison use ‘a sinister tale’.
Article from:
The Press Article date: January 29, 2002NELSON — A British filmmaker’s criticism of 1080 poison use in New Zealand has alarmed government departments.
Terry Brownbill, making a documentary to be screened in Europe, says the real story behind our use of 1080 is “a sinister tale of corruption and bureaucratic indifference”.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) says his allegations of public lies and alleged corruption are unfounded.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, worried about the documentary’s impact on meat- export markets, says concerns expressed by Brownbill about the possibility of 1080 residue entering food are invalid.
Last May Brownbill led a two- man film crew on a three-week tour of New Zealand, talking to opponents and supporters of aerial 1080 use. The resulting documentary is still being edited.
Brownbill says DOC and the Animal Health Board (AHB) were “empires built on poison” and British viewers of his documentary would be horrified by the poisoning of New Zealand “in the name of the Queen”.
Brownbill’s documentary was commissioned by Britain’s Sky TV.
Brownbill said the programme made it very clear New Zealand’s pure image was a sham.
“When the world gets to know the full horror of how New Zealand is carpet bombing millions of acres of farmland and native forest, there will be a backlash which could seriously affect agricultural exports and tourism,” he said.
“Both DOC and the AHB are empires built on poison.
“New Zealand seems far more concerned about losing its clean-green image than it does about protecting its people.”
Animal Health Board communications manager Nick Hancox said the board was more interested in achieving its aim of reducing TB in New Zealand than “empire building”. —NZPA
0800 Free-call Number for Victims of 1080 Poison Operations
“Brownbill claimed to have found a “hot spot” of 9 people suffering with brain tumours, living around the small town of Kumara, on the West Coast. He went on to say that he believed the tumours were a result of an incident in which he said five tonnes of 1080 bait was buried near a stream in the area, and that no Medical Officer of Health went on to investigate this “hot-spot.” “
The Graf Boys
Clyde Graf
After finding it difficult to get help, from what they believe is 1080 poisoning, the owners of an iconic tourist business based on the west coast of the South Island have established a free-call number – 0800 BAN 1080 (0800 226 1080) – for people to share their experiences after aerial 1080 operations.
The concern about 1080 poisoning is not a new phenomenon. While filming on the West Coast in 2002, a British film crew led by Terry Brownbill, stated New Zealand’s use of 1080 poison “was a sinister tale of corruption and bureaucratic indifference.”
Brownbill claimed to have found a “hot spot” of 9 people suffering with brain tumours, living around the small town of Kumara, on the West Coast. He went on to say that he believed the tumours were a result of an incident in which he said five tonnes of 1080 bait was buried near a stream in the area, and that no Medical Officer of Health went on to investigate this “hot-spot.”
However, the Agriculture Minister at the time, Jim Sutton, said the “1080 documentary maker should put up or shut up,” and disputed the British journalist’s claims, inferring that “the risk of 1080 residues entering the food supply is very low.”
History shows that Mr Brownbill’s claims do have credibility. Hundreds of farm animals – including sheep, dry stock, cows, horses, and deer – have been poisoned in aerial operations across the country, since the British film crew left New Zealand. It would seem improbable that all of these animals had received a lethal dose, without any of their surviving paddock companions, not receiving sub-lethal doses. (Only about one animal is tested for 1080 residues in every 2 months, and is randomly chosen from anywhere in New Zealand. So the chances of actually striking an animal from where a drop has taken place within a few days of testing, is consequently, very low.)
There are plenty of cases of farm animal deaths following aerial poisoning operations, from Northland to Southland.
In one case, it was reported in the Wairarapa Times Age that 9 dairy cows were poisoned by 1080.
The processing plant spokesperson stated that “at the end of the day if contamination is suspected we’d like to hear about it”. The milk from the cows was subsequently processed into milk powder before the farmer had warned the processing plant that his cows had been poisoned.
In the documentary Poisoning Paradise, Taupo (Western Bays) farmer Lance Aldridge states that his neighbor had over 150 sheep poisoned in one operation, and that in other drops he has had deer and cattle poisoned, with test results showing 1080 residues in carcasses as much as 12 months after the poisoning operation took place. He states that he believes the animals were either poisoned by the 1080 remaining in the fields where the animals were grazing, or from streams feeding the farm, following another drop over 5 kilometres away.
The creators of the free-call number believe there is mis-trust and fear among communities, of not being taken seriously when contacting the authorities, especially when those they are encouraged to engage with are the very departments dropping the poisons.
In 2008 midwives from Karamea, also on the West Coast, warned several pregnant ladies to leave the district while an aerial 1080 drop was being conducted. The response to their warnings from authorities was astonishing and swift. The mid-wives were humiliated publicly. Not surprisingly, another drop is planned for the Karamea region this year.
In December 2008, the Ministry of Health published a statement including the following paragraphs:
“Studies show that 1080 can cause foetal skeletal malformation, cardiomyopathy/damage to heart muscle, and testicular effects/reduction in sperm count in animals.”
“To date, there are no known epidemiological studies that have been carried out in relation to 1080 and potential adverse health effects on humans.”
It’s not just health concerns that the 0800 number is setup for.
Many people, all across New Zealand have had their pets and live stock poisoned. “We’d like to hear from them too,” stated the 0800 free-call trust’s spokesperson.
The inconvenience and investigations that follow placing a complaint, discourage victims.To make a claim, and have that claim registered, and officially recorded, is a long and complex process. Hence the recent claim by the PCE that only 8 dogs have died from 1080 poison in the last 4 years. This is inaccurate.
One Taupo farmer alone has had 8 of his working dogs die after poisoning operations around the farm he manages. The killings are endless, right across our country.
Do the people of New Zealand have reason to be concerned? Yes they do.
Should the people of New Zealand rely on government departments, government organisations and industry supporters to provide them with robust research, and consumer confidence – when the pest control company that imports 1080 poison and produces the 1080 bait, is owned by our government, and when the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture represent 50% shareholdings in the company that imports the poison? No, they shouldn’t!
“If you have been a victim of 1080 poisoning, or you know of someone that has, please phone 0800 BAN 1080, and talk about it. If you believe you’ve been poisoned, you’ve had stock poisoned, your water-supply poisoned, or your pet poisoned – even if it’s historical – please call and let us know. It’s free, it’s independent, and it’s confidential. It’s time to start a credible record of the impact of poisoning operations.” Said Clyde Graf.
And one last thing – take advantage of the opportunity to watch Poisoning Paradise free, at the Green Unplugged Film Festival, and please spread this 0800 free-call phone number to your friends and family. The destructive use of 1080 poison can only be stopped, with your help.
Sadly this is what has happened on more than one occasion in (not) clean green New Zealand. A warning about 1080 poison a Class 1A Ecotoxin that unbelievably NZ authorities claim is not very dangerous: our authorities do not practice the precautionary principle with the spreading of 1080 poison. In fact they are now legally allowed to drop it into your waterways without the previously required consents, even though the manufacturer’s warning says take care not to drop it into the waterways. Whilst they continue to claim it is harmless, there is much independent research that says otherwise. (See 1080science for further independent info). In light of that, in my opinion it is safer to follow the precautionary principle, that is, proceed as if there were a possible risk to your health rather than assume there is none. Since 1080 is a known teratogen I believe it is particularly important for pregnant mothers or even those who think they may be or who could be pregnant, to distance themselves from an area where 1080 is being distributed, particularly aerially because of the drift of the dust over long distances.
So if you are out tramping, visiting from overseas or just an unaware local, you’d be wise to take your own drinking water (don’t use the streams, taps etc) and check very carefully with DoC when making plans to be sure there will be no drop in your vicinity. The signage it appears, is not always there to warn you. (See further notes & info below the Stuff article). EWR
From Stuff
A couple are angry and upset that a holiday weekend tramp through a Pelorus Sound track ended with them being “dusted” with 1080 bait.
Kaiuma Bay couple Simon and Carol Caley have written an open letter of complaint to the minister of conservation, and are also seeking an apology for his department’s “complete and utter failure to protect the public” after pellets were dropped near them from a helicopter on Saturday.
Health and conservation authorities are investigating how toxic 1080 bait was spilled on to the track.
The Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service (PHS) is investigating a breach of a condition under which a Department of Conservation (DOC) 1080 drop was permitted in Pelorus Sound over the weekend.
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′.
JUST ONE “THREAT” FROM ANTI-1080 PEOPLE REPORTED TO NZ POLICE BY DoC IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS!(Someone dressed in a DoC uniform – how is that a threat?)
“We now have an updated OIA response from NZ Police, informing us of how many further reports they have received since October 2018, to the 8th August 2019. Nearly one whole year has passed. How many reports of so-called threats to DoC from anti-1080 activists?
One.
This single incident apparently involved someone dressed up in a DoC uniform, and was dismissed by the Police because it was “not a direct threat to DoC workers”. – No to 1080 Use in NZ
Director-General of the Dept of Conservation, Lou Sanson, would have the public believe that his staff are under enormous threat – from anti-1080 activists in particular – and in May’s Budget the department received an $11 million boost in funding for security:
What Sanson is not taking into account is the effect this scare-mongering is having on his own staff. I have received a report that the family of one female DoC worker is relieved when she arrives home at night unmolested. I am sure this is not an isolated case. He should be ashamed of himself, using this unfounded propaganda to terrify his workers and drum up support for his poisoning regime.
*Ongoing lies from New Zealand’s Dept of Conservation, but our peaceful protests continue.
We have reported in the past year or so about the increasing claims in the media from people like Lou Sanson, Director-General of the DoC and Nicola Toki, DoC’s ‘Threatened Species Ambassador’ that ‘anti-1080 activists are dangerously out of control’, ‘have gone feral’ and even ‘ are repeatedly making death threats to DoC staff’.
On 31st August 2018, we exposed the truth about these lies. We reported the response to an Official Information Act to the New Zealand Police, which asked ‘exactly HOW MANY threats of violence towards DoC staff had been recorded from so-called ‘anti-1080 activists in the past 2 years?’ and perhaps more importantly, ‘how many of these were being upheld?’
The answer, back then, was six. Between March 2016 and March 2018 there were a total of only six reports of threats to NZ Police, of which, ZERO were being progressed to prosecution.
From March up to October 2018, how many MORE threats to DoC were reported to the Police? After all, there was (according to TVNZ in Sept, 2018) a “sharp rise in threats to DoC staff”. Numerous media articles attempted to alarm the public about the ‘dangers’ of ‘anti-1080 activists’. The commencement of a costly contract with the private security firm, Thompson and Clark (April 2018) added to the perceived seriousness of the situation. Journalists like Tom O’Connor wrote opinion pieces with headlines like ‘ Anti-1080 protesters’ threats to human life inexcusable’. But where is the evidence that should support these claims?
OIA responses confirmed that between March to October 2018 there had been THREE so-called threats reported to Police. The same, on average, as the previous two years. Reported incidents included a threatening phone call, and a note left on a DoC vehicle.
We now have an updated OIA response from NZ Police, informing us of how many further reports they have received since October 2018, to the 8th August 2019. Nearly one whole year has passed. How many reports of so-called threats to DoC from anti-1080 activists?
One.
This single incident apparently involved someone dressed up in a DoC uniform, and was dismissed by the Police because it was “not a direct threat to DoC workers”.
To be clear, there has recently been one well-publicised single prosecution. As far as Admin of the page are aware, the man, Gregory Buchanan, was unknown and unconnected to any persons or groups associated with the long-standing, peaceful protests against the use of aerial poisons in New Zealand. Mr Buchanan’s motives were unclear, but the media reported: “A man has been sentenced to five years in prison after sending threatening letters to Department of Conservation (DOC) staff over 1080 poison.[…]. In a statement, DOC’s Director General Lou Sanson says he hopes this sentence will serve as a deterrent for others. Mr Sanson says anti-social behaviour and threats against DOC staff have grown over the past year from people who oppose predator control using 1080 to protect our indigenous forests and wildlife. The threats have moved beyond social media trolling to the targeting of vehicles, property and people. Staff and contractors have been followed, filmed, assaulted and threatened.” (1NewsNow. 7 June 2019).
But where is Mr Sanson’s evidence for these claims? Who is it that needs a ‘deterrent’? As we’ve reported here previously, even DoCs own records do not support these claims. The claims of threats are utterly false. This begs questions such as: Why are DoC so obsessed with this fantasy of trying to be seen as a victim? And, perhaps more importantly, WHY have DoC recently been allocated millions of extra dollars of taxpayers funds to ‘protect themselves’ against this self-invented danger?
This Fake News must end and our New Zealand Media must be held to account for constantly adding to this dangerous propaganda.
The NZ authorities do not practice the precautionary principle with the spreading of 1080 poison. In fact they are now legally allowed to drop it into your waterways without the previously required consents, even though the manufacturer’s warning says take care not to drop it into the waterways. Whilst they continue to claim it is harmless, there is much independent research that says otherwise. (See 1080science for further independent info). In light of that, in my opinion it is safer to follow the precautionary principle, that is, proceed as if there were a possible risk to your health rather than assume there is none. Since 1080 is a known teratogen I believe it is particularly important for pregnant mothers or even those who think they may be or who could be pregnant, to distance themselves from an area where 1080 is being distributed, particularly aerially because of the drift of the dust over long distances. I believe these are the concerns being raised here, and particularly also with regard to warning tourists of the risks of drinking the water, who may not be able to read the signs (if there indeed are any). Finally, of particular concern is the topography of Milford Sound. When it rains as per the above image, “all of the steep landscape can be considered a streambed”. EWR.
Re: Response to email on 31st July 2019 from John McCutcheon (MSI) to the community andstakeholders, regarding the impending 1080 drop into the public water supply water catchment area of Milford Sound
The key issue:
DOC has issued its intentions to drop a VTA (1080) between Aug 1st and Dec 2019 in the Cleddau/Milford Sound area, including the Bowen River valley, which is the water catchment for the public water supply of Milford Sound.
How might this affect the public water supply and its consumers in the Milford Sound area?
It won’t, if the drop is aborted in the Bowen River valley water catchment area.
However, if the drop in the catchment area goes ahead, I believe that – on reading the information and links below, both DOC & Milford Sound Infrastructure (MSI –the local public water supply company) should act in good faith, and with the prudent exercise of ethical responsibility, to make sure that an alternate water supply is arranged during and after the 1080 drop. Also, adequatesignage should be supplied about the drop –which seems to be the responsibility of Workplace NZ.
Why?
The alternative supply should be offered until testing is carried out and levels of 1080 found to be below the government standard for tests (set at 2 parts per billion, though under 3.5 parts per billion is deemed safe by the EPA.) Note: No human trials have been carried out to know if this level is indeed correct)
Failing the delivery of an alternate water supply, responsibility lies with us – the end operators and consumers, along with WorkSafe NZ – to place signs at all water outlets where human consumption could reasonably be expected to take place. For example, all tourist vessels, port and airport facilities, and all lodgings should have 1080 danger signs erected where water (including tea or coffee) is to be offered during and after aerial operations in the Bowen River catchment area, until post-drop test results are available.
I have now received an email (dated 1 Aug 2019) from Renee Cubitt (Health Protection Officer Public Health South, Southern DHB) where she states:
“… Mitigation measures are discussed between the water supplier and the applicant andmonitoring includes testing the water before consumption. Water samples tested for 1080 toxin residue in New Zealand are tested to a very low level of detection. Alternative suppliesare arranged before results are cleared(highlight added). In our view the risk to those consuming drinking water is extremely low – and most likely nil.”
But as recognised in this statement, some risk – however small – exists, so an alternative water supply should be offered.
What regulates these requests to drop 1080 and relevant mitigation of risk?
The Ministry of Health is responsible for ensuring that the provisions of the HSNO Act are complied with where it is necessary to protect public health. The Public Health Unit (PHU) is empowered by the Ministry of Health to approve permission and attach conditions to interested parties applying a VTA (Vertebrate Toxic Agent) in a public place. This applies especially to drops into (or near) a public water supply. Public Health South (PHS) processes and approves permissions for VTA use in the Fiordland area, in so doing, sets minimum standards for the intended dispersal area in the Milford Sound public water supply catchment area.
Permission is required because VTAs (of which 1080 is one) are toxic to humans through acute poisoning and chronic exposure. 1080 is considered a hazardous substance, for good reason. (See link to 1080 effects at p7.)
The PHU have issued a Model Permission Statement (see p32 onwards) with examples – one of which focuses on a VTA to be dropped into a public water supply. (Case study 2 at p63.)
Some things that stand out for me with the model PHU permissions:
Full disclosure to users is expected, with signs and warnings – which would logically be placed at the point of possible consumption. (See conditions 19 & 20 p47 of VTA permission guide.)
An alternate water supply should be offered, if requested, until testing has been completed. (See Case example – Condition 25 p68 note ii and conditions 25 – 32 of VTA permission guide.)
I see the above two points as meeting a legal and moral duty to protect tourists (and locals) from potentially drinking contaminated water.
It should be noted that, according to the opening segment of condition 30 (p57) of the VTApermission guide:
Mitigation shall be mutually agreed in writing between the applicant and water supply managers and involve either or both of the following [emphasis added]:
No 1080 shall be applied within 200 m of the water supply intakes. For flowing surface watercourses, the 200 m exclusion shall be extended to 400 m upstream of the point of intake. (p57)
If an interim water supply is available, the affected water supply shall be temporarily disconnected until such time as water testing finds no VTA contamination above 50 percent of the Ministry’s PMAV*, in accordance with the requirements of the Drinking-water Standards of New Zealand. (p57)
The first point above is modified (example given in condition (30 pg57) by:
In steep areas, the exclusion area may need to be increased to avoid bait falling in to the waterway [emphasis added].
Local conditions affecting the toxicity of any drop in this area
Let’s be honest, the whole Milford Sound area has extremely steep gradients.
Bowen River valley and public water supply catchment area (see red circled area)
Figure 1: (Map clipped 4 July 2019 from the onlineDOC map.)
Fiordland is a unique area in terms of its topography and rainfall. The Bowen River catchment valley is rather like a giant granite bath, with very little top soil, and average rainfall of 7000mm per annum.
During rainfall, all of the steep landscape can be considered a streambed.
Figure 2: Milford steep gradient waterways during heavy rain in Milford Sound (Photo: Sacha Stevenson)Contrasting the 2D nature of the 2017 GPS flight path map for the 1080 drop in this area with the reality of the length of the Bowen River and its many, many feeder streams (via a camping map) also gives perspective to the special nature of this landscape and its potential for major 1080 runoff into the waters feeding our drinking water supply.
Figure 3: Flight path for 2017 drop (from EPA Report) Figure 4: Topography (from Camping Map)
This unique topography, together with winter temperatures, ice and snow melt, will likely increase the risk of 1080 arriving at the intake area intact, and at the same time and breaking down much more slowly. According to TBFree: “How 1080 Breaks Down in Soil and Water”:
“Biodegradation of 1080 is faster in warmer conditions (20degC), but still occurs at 5degC. Atcooler temperatures rates of degradation are slower…..”
Imagine the perfect storm: A huge rain soon after the drop and all the aerially dispersed 1080 pellets wash straight into the streams and make their way to the public water supply intake around the same time. This poison then, being a deadly toxin at single digit parts per billion, arrives to be consumed by a pregnant woman, above the levels that the mother and child can metabolize safely.
Is it possible that 1080 might get to the intake before it breaks down? Considering the nature of the topography here, the winter temperatures and the international exposure of our iconic location, ALL options of mitigating risks should be enacted.
The 2017 DOC report (at p6) reported a positive 1080 test at 1ppb for the Bowen River (ie a fairly small risk). However, as discussed above, different conditions (eg heavy rain around the time of the drop) may adversely affect that risk level.
“Urgent samples for 24-hour turnaround testing may be sent unfrozen to the testinglaboratory, but they must be chilled to 4°C and placed on ice as soon as possible after collection.”
Looking closer at Landcare’s testing regime (at 4.0): “Results will be available no later than 9.30 a.m.
on the following day.” This means, at a minimum, no water should be drunk in Milford for 24hrs.
The precautionary principle
The HSNO Act (at s7) is predicated on a precautionary approach, especially where there is uncertainty about the effects of a course of action, which there must be in this case.
“The specific characteristics and risk profile of each VTA operation is different, depending onthe VTA being used, the terrain and factors such as public use patterns and/or proximity to dwellings and water supplies. The Model Permit Conditions may need to be modified in order to adequately manage the level of the risk to public health.[From page iii, emphasis added]
“The Model Permit Conditions are intended as astarting point. They should not be applied as ageneralised standard ‘set’ of conditions. They provide a framework that officers can adjust in order to meet local needs. However, officers need to ensure that they fully consider the various risks and characteristics of each specific proposed VTA operation in order to determine the appropriate Model Permit Conditions to be used and how such conditions might need to be modified to adequately manage the public health risks posed by that particular operation.” [From page 2, emphasis added]
Guidelines are not the law. They are a mechanism for giving effect to the law – and to its precautionary approach.
Milford Sound – a major tourist attraction
Milford Sound is one of NZ’s iconic tourist locations. We have somewhere between 500 to 5,000 guests per day visiting the Fiord, hosted by various companies across the different seasons. The large majority of tourists are foreign nationals, many of whom don’t speak or read English very well.
Until at least the 24th July 2019, Milford Sound Infrastructure acknowledged they hadn’t been notified of the impending drop. Since the community was notified by MSI on the 31st July, we can assume we now have at least 2 months until the scheduled drop begins, as per the guidelines:
The notice must be given sufficiently prior to, but within two months of, the proposed application of the VTA (PHU VTA Permission – condition 27 Notification)
I understand that some of the companies here are planning to make bottled water available for their staff, but none of them (as far as I know) are planning to offer bottled water to the tourists, or even to put notices up in the terminal or on the vessels to warn them of the 1080 drop – so they can at least make an informed choice as to whether they will consume the potentially contaminated water or not.
I believe in ‘free will’ and I can understand some people believe the Government/DOC scientists when they say the water will be safe to drink.
However, around 3% of 1080 tests in water have come back positive for 1080 over the years, with at least 4 positive tests in drinking water, albeit in low concentrations. (See TBFree, p3.)
Knowing that 1080 is teratogenic (may cause birth defects) and with my partner being pregnant, I wouldn’t wish her to have any exposure whatsoever to 1080. I assume no foreign national in her position would wish to be exposed to that risk either. (See MOH Guidelines p7 re known 1080 effects.)
I am disappointed that neither DOC, MSI Milford Sound Infrastructure, or MST Milford SoundTourism NZ (the port operational company that operate the terminal and dock facilities) are planning to at least inform the tourists that the water they may drink in the terminal and on board the vessels may potentially have a birth defect causing agent in it.
It is probably true that signs will likely be erected along the road into Milford, as we have seen done in various locations around NZ. But it is wrong to conclude that because those signs are at rest areas etc, that foreigners will equate that with the drinking water supply inthe terminal and on the vesselsetc, as being also potentially contaminated. One must remember that many visitors can’t read English for a start, plus many come from areas where it is obvious that one doesn’t drink from any tap water.
Is it obvious here?
I would expect the duty of care and a minimum standard would mean that we’d firstly err on the side of caution. I would also assume that foreign governments would want us to set the minimum standard bar rather high when it comes to looking after the health and welfare of their citizens. As we would hope they do for our citizens when they’re abroad.
We know that the US and China for example, among others, take the safety of their citizens travelling overseas very seriously.
Do we need reminding that there is no antidote to 1080 poisoning?
It really seems easy to avoid the vast majority of the risks in this case. Just don’t drop 1080 in the water catchment area: meaning no 1080 to be aerially dropped in the Bowen River valley area of Milford Sound.
If DOC is so determined to go-ahead with the poison drop in the catchment area, then full disclosure to tourists should be made and an alternate drinking water supply offered (as per the model PHU statement example of 1080 in a public water supply).
It’s embarrassing that we call our country ‘Open and Inclusive’ ‘Clean Green’ etc and yet treat foreigners with this sort of disrespect.
I would like to add, I have no issue with the normal supply and delivery of water in Milford Sound. As long as I’ve worked here, MSI and MST have both operated with professionalism and worked to fix any issues with the greatest of haste.
A final point
If the aerial drop in the Bowen River catchment area is aborted, there would be no risk to the public water supply.
If you are concerned, please speak up and send your concerns to DOC and MSI.
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′. EWR
“To make 60kg, some 1080 possum hides were needed.”
That really should read lamestream. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? And on that note looking at the value of the fur, DoC are denying Kiwi hunters and trappers thousands of dollars worth of income aren’t they? Given they aerially drop onto land that could easily be trapped. EWR
from the Otago Daily Times – 2nd August 2019
A woman has been arrested in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars worth of possum fur from a Mosgiel shed last month.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said today a 39-year-old woman had been charged with burglary after allegedly stealing the fur from a Bush Rd property.
She is set to appear in the Dunedin District Court next week.
Police were informed over the weekend of July 20-21 that 60kg of fur had been taken from the Bush Rd property after a shed was broken into.
New Zealand Fur Council chairman Neil Mackie said at the time the price of fur was about $130 per kg, which would make the haul worth $7800.
He was not aware of possum fur theft being a common occurrence. Nor was he aware of a possum fur black market.
“It’s important to let the other players in the industry know, because they’ll try to sell that through those channels.”
It took about 18 possums to make 1kg of fur, he said.
The Whanganui item in this is the gob smacker. Unlined hole, old wetlands reserve turned landfill, undisclosed to public by all appearances, right dab next to a PRIMARY SCHOOL! How irresponsible is THAT? … EWR.
1080 poison (Sodium Monofluoroacetate) is a hazardous chemical that is repeatedly dumped in New Zealand’s landfill sites (official and unofficial) without consideration for the potential harm. Contrary to some claims, 1080 does not easily breakdown into ‘harmless by-products’: one teaspoon of the poison can kill and harm as many as a hundred adults. It is highly lethal, stable in water, disperses readily through the environment, and in some conditions remains poisonous for months, if not years. For instance, in March 2000, 20 tonnes of mixed, unwanted 1080 poison baits, between 8-20 years old, were buried in West Coast farmland. When tested a few months later, the substance was still highly toxic.
Official Informatiom Act responses have revealed that for decades, Auckland, Canterbury, Winton, Whanganui and Marton landfills have all been recipients of tonnes of unwanted 1080 poison. This is because according the manufacturers, the cereal baits have a limited shelf-life (how convenient for their profit margins?). Apparently, depending upon storage environments, damp and mould can affect the palatability and structure of the poison baits, which can mean they are unstable, unsafe and unsuitable to be distributed aerially via the helicopter hoppers. To summarise some of our findings:
• In August 1996, over 12 tonnes of unwanted highly toxic 1080 poison baits were buried in a purpose-dug pit in a managed landfill site at Winton, central Southland. Weeks after the burial, toxic 1080 was still present in some of the groundwater samples (despite unreliable testing methodology).
• 66 tonnes of 1080 poison baits, originally intended for Makarora aerial pest control operation (2015) were unused because of the poor weather. The spoiled poison baits were sent to a Manawatu-Whanganui landfill site (Probably, Marton).
• A storage shed in Haast was swamped during recent flooding, and the rising river water damaged over 16 tonnes of toxic 1080 bait. This week, that poison has been buried at…you guessed it, Marton.
• In February 2018, 600kgs of 1080 poison baits was transported from the Whitianga storage site (within a residential area) to a North Auckland landfill.
• Also in 1996, in Whanganui (near the 1080 poison factory) 80 tonnes of 1080 poison cereal bait was buried in a shallow, unlined hole at the landfill site, now known as Balgownie Reserve. Tragically, this area was previously a precious wetland of historical and cultural significance. A primary school is situated next door. (Map below).
There are many other stories waiting to be exposed. Meanwhile, none of New Zealand’s authorities adheres to international guidelines on toxic waste disposal, including the requirement to monitor community health in these areas. And concerns are repeatedly raised about potential harmful affects from the storage, disposal and aerial distribution of 1080 poison.
In the USA and in Europe, authorities are waking-up to their responsibilities to citizens. New funding is being provided to enable the costly clean-up of old toxic dump sites, and this involves specialists digging up the hazardous waste and disposing of it safely. Public health is a priority.
It’s bad enough to distribute tonnes of 1080 poison baits over thousands of hectares—66 tonnes of the poison baits could kill or seriously harm almost the whole population of New Zealand. It’s another thing however to dump this amount of lethally toxic substance into one shallow hole. What impact could a highly concentrated amount of this toxic chemical have on the health of nearby, unknowing, small communities?
When is the New Zealand Government going to face up to the magnitude of our ongoing soil and water contamination, stop the dumping of hazardous waste and start the crucial clean-up operations?
Impending Milford Sound 1080 drop (Southland Cleddau area)
By Sacha Stevenson
1080 – It’s nothing new to most Kiwis. Opinions are divided.
The last aerial drop of 1080 here was only two years ago. Before the last drop (although I wasn’t working in Milford at the time) there was some community consultation, including a Q & A session with the Department of Conservation (DoC) – the lead agency involved with the drop in this region. I understand some local workers and one Iwi objected, but the drop went ahead anyway, including into the public water supply catchment area.
The next drop in the Southland Cleddau/Milford Sound area is scheduled for between Aug 1st and Dec 2019 and, just like the Sept 2017 drop, this again includes dropping 1080 into the water supply.
(See map below clipped 4 July 2019 from the online DOC map.)
In my opinion, the community here has not had an honest open forum to voice their say on the next scheduled drop (and every opinion is valid) but much worse, even if we get to have our say, chances are high that the tourists will be left uninformed.
There are many aspects to this topic, many already discussed. One of the main aspects here being in regards to the Public Health Unit (PHU) VTA Permission and conditions statement and its lack of implementation here in Milford Sound, and the effect it may have on locals and tourists. I’m not a lawyer, but I see this as a legal and moral failing in our duty to protect tourists (and locals).
The Ministry of Health (the Ministry) is responsible for ensuring that the provisions of the Hazardous Substances & New Organisms (HSNO) Act are complied with where it is necessary to protect public health. The Public Health Unit (PHU) is legislated by the Ministry of Health, to approve permission and attach conditions to interested parties applying a VTA (Vertebrate Toxic Agent) in a public place. This applies especially to drops into (or near) a public water supply. Public Health South (PHS) processes and approves permissions for the Fiordland area.
Permission is required because VTAs (of which 1080 is one) are toxic to humans through acute poisoning and chronic exposure. 1080 is considered a hazardous substance, for good reason. (See link to 1080 effects at p7.)
Some things stand out for me with the model PHU permissions:
1) Full disclosure to users is expected, with signs and warnings (which would logically be placed at the point of possible consumption)(see conditions 19 & 20 pg47 of VTA permission guide.)
2) An alternate water supply should be offered, if requested, until testing has been completed. (Case example – Condition 25 p67 note ii and conditions 25 – 32 of VTA permission guide.)
Bowen River valley and public water supply catchment area (see red circled area)
Figure 1: (Map clipped 4 July 2019 from the online DOC map.)
Milford Sound is one of NZ’s iconic tourist locations. We have between 500 to 5000 guests per day visiting the Fiord, hosted by various companies across the different seasons. The large majority of tourists are foreign nationals, many of whom don’t speak or read English very well.
However, I’ve had contact with the public water supply company in the last week, confirming that they’ve had no warning about the upcoming use of 1080. (As at 24th July)
Not a good start.
Despite the lack of communication from DoC (the lead agency for this particular drop) and from the aerial application contractor, many of the workers here in Milford know the drop is now imminent.
I understand that some of the companies here are planning to make bottled water available for their staff, but none of them (as far as I know) are planning to offer bottled water to the tourists, or even to put notices up in the terminal or on the vessels to warn them of the 1080 drop – so they can choose for themselves whether they would like to drink the tap water or not.
Knowing that 1080 is teratogenic (may cause birth defects) and with my partner being pregnant, I wouldn’t wish her to have any exposure whatsoever to 1080. I assume no foreign national in her position would wish to be exposed to that risk either. (See MOH Guidelines p7 re known 1080 effects.)
I am shocked that it appears that no one in Milford, including DoC, Milford Sound Tourism NZ (MST – the port operational company), Milford Sound Infrastructure ((MSI – the public water supply company), or the tourist companies providing vessels and the drinking water aboard them, is planning to at least inform the tourists that the water they may drink in the terminal and on board the vessels may potentially have a birth defect causing agent in it.
It is probably true that signs will likely be erected along the road into Milford, as we have seen done in various locations around NZ. But it is wrong to conclude that because those signs are at the rest areas, that foreigners will equate that with the drinking water in the terminal and on the boats being also potentially contaminated. One must remember, that many visitors can’t read English for a start, plus many come from areas where it is obvious that one doesn’t drink from any tap. Is it obvious here?
I would expect the duty of care and a minimum standard would mean that we’d firstly err on the side of caution. I would also assume that foreign governments would want us to set the minimum standard bar rather high when it comes to looking after the health and welfare of their citizens. As we would hope they do for our citizens when they’re abroad.
We know that the US and China for example, among others, take the safety of their citizens travelling overseas very seriously.
To add to the issues, Fiordland is a unique area in terms of its topography and rainfall. The Bowen River catchment valley is rather like a giant granite bath, with very little top soil, and average rainfall of 7000mm per annum. Together with winter temperatures, ice and snow melt, this will likely increase the risk of 1080 arriving at the intake at the same time and breaking down much more slowly. Further, according to TBFree HYPERLINK “https://ospri.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Documents/How-1080-Breaks-Down-in-Soil-Water.pdf” NZ:
“Biodegradation of 1080 is faster in warmer conditions (20degC), but still occurs at 5degC. At cooler temperatures rates of degradation are slower…..”
“Urgent samples for 24-hour turnaround testing may be sent unfrozen to the testing laboratory, but they must be chilled to 4°C and placed on ice as soon as possible after collection.”
Looking closer at Landcare’s testing regime (at 4.0): “Results will be available no later than 9.30 a.m. on the following day.” This means, at a minimum, no water should be drunk in Milford for 24hrs.
Do we need reminding that there is no antidote to 1080 poisoning?
It really seems easy to avoid the vast majority of the risks in this case. Just don’t drop 1080 in the water catchment area, meaning no 1080 to be aerially dropped in the Bowen River valley area of Milford Sound.
If DOC is so determined to go-ahead with the poison drop in the catchment area, then full disclosure to tourists should be made and an alternate drinking water supply offered (as per the model PHU statement example of 1080 in a public water supply).
It’s embarrassing that we call our country ‘Open and Inclusive’, ‘Clean Green’ etc and yet treat foreigners with this sort of disrespect.
Also of interest, according to the above Cleddau report; NO non-target species monitoring was undertaken. The water quality testing (pg 6 of DOC’s operational report 5.2.2) revealed the presence of 1080 at 1ppb.
I can tell you that as of writing, we have quite a few Kea (approx 20) hanging out in and around the village here in Milford.
Kea in Milford Sound, down near Deep Water Basin, May 2019 (Photo: Sacha Stevenson)
Plenty of Wekas here as well, plus I’ve seen the odd NZ Falcon eating road kill on the drive into Milford.
Weka at Deep Water Basin July 2019 (Photo: Sacha Stevenson)
I wonder how they will fare with the ‘Clean Green’ 1080 pellets raining down in the near future. Will anyone know if they’ve been affected?
To conclude: yes, opinions on the use of 1080 differ here, but no locals I’ve talked to think tourists shouldn’t at least be fully informed of what might be in their drinking water, to allow them their ‘Free Will’ to drink the local water or not.
Increase the peace
S Stevenson
Skipper – Milford Sound
An update to this article can be found at this link.
RELATED: EWR links to articles on 1080 in water. Search for other articles on 1080 poison at the categories drop down box at the left of the news page.
If you are new to the 1080 poisoning program, here is a good article to start with …
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′. EWR
So this assault in 2018 was unprovoked, had two witnesses, all on camera, was dismissed by the judge & the person assaulted is left with some $24K in costs. Do you think ‘they’ might be sending environmentalists a message here? Remember how in another Court scenario regarding the 1080 drop around Auckland’s Hunua Ranges water supply, DoC’s lawyers asked the judge that their scientist not be questioned? Strange request isn’t it? And equally strange that any judge would grant such a request don’t you think?
Graeme Sturgeon, photographed after the assault clearly showing the injuries he sustained, a bloodied nose & torn shirt
This man simply showed up where bags of 1080 pellets were being unloaded (without compliance to all of the safety regulations). A Class 1A Ecotoxin was being stored without public knowledge in the CBD of Whitianga, right adjacent to peoples’ homes and to food outlets. To read more on that debacle go here.
1080 pellets being unloaded in Whitianga’s CBD
Observing DoC’s guards in the header image above it seems a far cry from conservation & saving birds doesn’t it? Especially when you hear their 1080 poison was responsible for killing 10K birds in one of their South Island drops alone. I could mention more like the 600 odd sheep and the 345 deer as well. DoC’s operations are frequently looking very gung ho. Environmentalists simply want an end to all of the poison & the accusations of violence by them are simply wild exaggerations.
There are better ways to conserve our environment. They are dropping this poison aerially in places that are easily trapped. They are also wiping out our native birds. The birds fared very well prior to poison & particularly prior, I would venture to say, to the presence of the poisoners. Witness the extinction of the native Huia. And now we have the Kea near to extinction.
Really, what have they learned in 60 plus years of poisoning?
Watch the GrafBoys’ coverage of this incident in the video below:
Graeme Sturgeon vs the Crown – On the 20th February 2018, in the Thames District Court, Graeme Sturgeon had charges made against him by the Crown, dismissed. Here’s his post-decision interview ..
RELATED:
Remember this? (As the media continues to assault the truth with more claims of violence):
Horizons Regional Council have a long history of being lax about 1080 poison going into their region’s landfills it seems. I wrote the following in January 2017:
“George Robinson has worked in the pest control industry all his life. When he left the Manawatu/Wanganui (Horizons) Regional Council he had a gagging order put on him, but the time period is now up.
This is the story he told me:
They used to use (up to 2008-2009 that he knows of) 20% 1080 stock solution and dilute it to a field solution to put it on the green-dyed carrots, for rabbits. He said they had back packs and had it running down their arms, legs, backs….. They used to find dead birds everywhere, blackbirds especially. They were told it all dissolved in water and broke down.
They had a big holding tank and the stock solution could be held for up to 7 or 8 years before it was no good, but a man from a waste removal transport company would come along and pump out the holding tank. He would take it down to the Palmerston North landfill and spread it all over the ground, driving round in a circle. George says this guy was a straight-up sort of chap who was amazed that he was given permission to do it.”
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Also the 66 tonnes of 1080 poison baits, unused at Makarora, Mt Aspiring National Park, in 2015, ended up being trucked to a Manawatu-Wanganui region landfill according to an OIA response from DoC to Ray Thompson in February 2017 – an identical performance to the 16 tonne one in this recent RadioNZ report attached. 66 tonnes of 1080 baits contain enough pure 1080 to kill 1,414,286 x 70 kg people and poison another 1,414,286 people ( LD50 0.5 to 2 mg per kg bodywight, Negherbon )
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If I hadn’t been alerted to a rumour about JJ Nolan’s Haast (Okuru) flood-damaged storage shed, and if Joel Lund had not then gone from Wanaka to Haast and bravely taken photographs of same with a good zoom lens (because we could not be sure until then which building it was, and needed proof – the HazChem sign) and undergone on-site interrogation while he was about it (!), and if Richard Healey had not done terrific captions and graphics plotting the old water courses in the area, and also calculated the size of the storage shed from the photographs, and if Kathy White hadn’t nudged me into sending an OIA request to Worksafe (I hate doing OIAs) which confirmed that flood-damaged bait was disposed of, and if David Haynes had not followed up with a more specific OIA request to the EPA which confirmed quantity, destination and method of disposal, this RadioNZ story would never have emerged.*****
These stories are almost always a joint effort and this is the true power of the anti-1080 movement. So much unacceptable carelessness and dangerous practice is hidden from the public by the Dept of Conservation. It is, frankly, disgusting behaviour. But… it is getting harder and harder for them to hide the truth !!!
*****Footnote: Organisations like Worksafe, DoC, OSPRI, EPA consistently use the full legal limit of 20 working days before responding, and more and more frequently are claiming a need for extensions of time. The flood happened in mid-March and it has taken FOUR MONTHS to get even this small part of the story into the medis – such are the holdups imposed on obtaining information which it is our legal right to have.
This is an excerpt from an OIA response from the Whanganui District Council.. You’ve got to wonder what substantial quantities implies in reference to the Palmerston disposals.. When Awapuni landfill stopped taking 1080, our government owned manufacturer applied for a consent to dispose of 80 tonnes of 1080 products in an unlined landfill in Whanganui.. right in-between a school, suburb and an industrial area. They waited months to sample the dump after it rained.. Not one soil test was taken. They submitted a few bait samples for testing that leach 1080. Finding lower amounts of 1080 in bait samples after rain isn’t proof of degradation.. it just proves 1080 leaches from baits.
The West Coast of the South Island is generally thought of as being the most heavily 1080-poisoned area of New Zealand. However some of us have been thinking about that lately and have realized that, in fact, Wanaka and the Upper Clutha probably take that title, sadly.
You see, we have an extra problem animal (for farmers) in the Wanaka area, and that is rabbits, so farms and stations all round the Upper Clutha get aerially bombed with 1080 for rabbits. This is in addition to the onslaught from DoC and OSPRI for possums, rats and stoats on our farmland and in our mountain valleys.
We DID fight them off in 2015. It can be done! OSPRI had advertised plans to aerially 1080 poison DoC-managed land on Mt Roy and they were sent away with their tail between their legs and never came back.
Luggate was a two year battle, 2017 to 2019, It went ahead despite best efforts to stop it, but on a greatly reduced scale.
DoC stuffed up the aerial 1080 drop at Makarora in 2015, but unfortunately they came back in 2017 and did manage to dump poison on 38,000 ha – the Wilkin, Young, Makarora, and Blue River Valleys.
If you stand on top of Mt Iron in Wanaka and turn 360 degrees you will be looking at these aerially 1080-poisoned valleys – Matukituki, Makarora, Mt Gold, Timaru Creek (Lake Hawea), Luggate, Cardrona. Add to this most of the stations, many of the farms (deer, cattle, sheep ) and even some of the vineyards, and this is one poisoned place ! Aerial Pindone, and 1080 and Pindone thrown off quad bikes, in our public spaces, like Mt Iron itself just recently, can be added to the mix.
From the top of Mt Iron, Wanaka – Photos Carol Sawyer
From Alan Simmons at alansimmons.co.nz Alan is President & Co-Leader of the NZ Outdoors Party
On the weekend of 29th June a peaceful protest held vigil outside the te Papa Museum in Wellington to show Forest and Bird members attending their annual conference that their support for blanket poisoning of over two million hectares of New Zealand back country was opposed by many.
The protest was peaceful and respectful holding up placards about 20 meters from the doors and handing out brochures to those who wanted them. Many of the Forest and Bird members stopped to talk and it became apparent that a lot were totally opposed to the widespread use or poisons but seemed powerless to change the opinion of the executive.
Suddenly out from within the Conference a male emerged angry and on a mission yelling abuse at the protesters and wanting to engage in a yelling match. Security tried to come between him and the protesters and worked really hard to pacify him but his demeanor increased to the point that one of the female protesters, he was right in her face, lawyer, Sue Grey felt quite threatened and started to film it.
At this point I have to say the security team on duty were excellent and tried to come between him and get him to calm down. Suddenly he appeared to lash out at Sue Grey and everyone thought he had punched her but instead he had snatcher her phone from right beside her face and started to walk off with it.
As he did so the security guards followed him and tried to retrieve the phone. He was now walking quickly away with the phone and I personally ran after him and confronted him asking his name and telling him that he had stolen a lawyers phone with privileged information on it and we would be laying charges with the police. At this point he reluctantly handed the phone over and headed back to re-enter the building however the security guards prevented him from doing so, telling him to leave and he then quickly marched off into the city.
I am sure I saw him a few hours later walk back to the conference dressed differently. No charges have been laid because we don’t know who he was but I’m sure Forest and Bird do as he would have been on their list of attendees. If anyone does know who he was please let me know. His photo is below.
here is some video of him before he became very angry.
Do you find it curious that nobody as yet has come forward and identified this man? He is somebody’s father, brother, cousin, employee, employer, neighbour, friend, enemy even? Curious indeed. He looks to me like a man with a mission and not some random member of the public. Just my opinion of course. EWR
From Alan Simmons at alansimmons.co.nz Alan is President & Co-Leader of the NZ Outdoors Party
“The Department of Conservation continue to repeat the same old story about attacks on staff and how it is affecting their role in protecting our precious wildlife. NZ herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12249704
This article repeats the same old same old as if their spin doctors have told them that if you repeat the story enough, people will start to believe it. But the opposite is happening and dislike for the Department continues to grow at an alarming rate.
You would think that wise heads in the Department could be thinking what’s going on? What are we doing that has us becoming the most hated government department when we should be the most loved.
The department of Conservation’s obsession with the aerial spreading 1080 has built a huge dislike of the department as predicted by advisors to the Minister Nick Smith when he rammed through legislation allowing the aerial dropping of 1080 without resource consents. Nick Smith’s advice to cabinet included a statement that “Loss of local decision-making is not an effect of the proposed regulation that could be avoided, but rather its primary purpose.”
In my opinion if you take away the public’s right to be consulted then you will get opposition and resentment as the public have no ability to express their feelings except but by protest.
Using Docs own statistics it has 35 incidents per year where staff are abused or threatened out of a staff of 4000. According to press reports these are having an accumulative effect on staff and diverting them from their work. I would suspect the threats are mostly via social media and some to rangers in the field undertaking enforcement work, so how does this affect the other 3980 staff. Especially when OIA requests to police show few if any of these so called threats are reported.
Rangers trying to enforce whitebait regulations, illegal camping, taking photographs of the landscape and hunting are likely to receive abuse. I would have thought it came with the job or have rangers become so soft and sensitive they report anything that hurts their feelings.? I personally know of one incident reported where a DOC worker objected to a car parked outside their house that displayed a small ban 1080 bumper sticker.
Is it now an offense to criticise or have differing opinions to a government department?
As a result of the “35 incidents” per year the Department has convinced government to give it 11 million dollars to set up a new division of ex spies or police called “Security and Investigations Team” to deal with these threats. 6 staff to do what one might ask. Drive around town and remove bumper stickers, sit all day on computers and monitor facebook.
Part of the job description lists:
Building a security conscious culture and organisational capability
Ensuring security and other health and safety incidents are investigated and responded to appropriately
To apply for this job you need to maintain a “SECRET ” security clearance, you should be able to access government security and intelligence groups such as NZ Police, security leaders in other government agencies and the NZ Security Intelligence Service.
All of this because people are feeling frustrated about the lack of consultation or the occasional person gives a DOC ranger an earful!
Again DOC will say they have received and successfully prosecuted two major anti 1080 crimes. Both had nothing to do with the “peoples protest”. The first threatened to put 1080 into milk powder and was subsequently found to be a poison supplier who was miffed his own poison was not being used and the second was a lone wolf hunter threatening by letter to release Sika deer. Both were dealt with by the police.
It would seem to me DOC are building a fortress around themselves rather that trying to understand why they are becoming disliked and subject to a hostile public. To my way of thinking a change of culture and understanding would be a far better way to go.
Involve the public and bring the public along with you makes a far more sensible option but I fear DOC are digging themselves into a huge hole to defend their position.
It will take some courage from within the department to start the process of filling in the trenches.
THE CONTINUING PRIVATISATION OF NZ 1080 BAIT MANUFACTURE IS A CONCERN! – NOW CONNOVATION LTD HAVE APPROVAL AS WELL!
By Carol Sawyer
“Infant formula blackmailer, Jeremy Kerr, imprisoned in 2016.. ‘was named as one of the original directors of Connovation..’ “
“… the infant formula blackmail threat led to 60 anti-1080 people being interviewed by NZ Police (from 2,600 suspects), some as many as four times, yet all along it was a crime committed by a member of the poison industry itself.”
Here we have yet another would-be 1080 bait manufacturer, Connovation, about to try to grab a dwindling share of the 1080 bait market. I wonder if they are planning on making the bait in Auckland?
This was an application from Invasive Pest Control Limited (Connovation Ltd) …
“to generate efficacy data for an extruded pellet bait containing 0.8% cholecalciferol and an extruded pellet bait containing 0.15% 1080″
Decision: Approved with Controls and decision notified on 26 March 2019
This came out in the EPA Hazardous Substances Update for April. Link here:
Invasive Pest Control and Connovation are the same it appears. If you type Invasive Pest Control Ltd into Google, this is what you get: https://www.connovation.co.nz/about-us
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NEW 1080 BAIT FACTORY TO BE RUN BY CONNOVATION, …. CONNOVATION HAS A PAST WORTH LOOKING AT !
Infant formula blackmailer, Jeremy Kerr, imprisoned in 2016.. “was named as one of the original directors of Connovation..
Kerr developed an encapsulating system for cyanide and also pill manufacture for poison baits (also recreational drugs). The encapsulated cyanide (Feratox) came out in the mid ’90’s which Connovation manufactures and distributes to this day. The directors of Connovation were so upset that none of their products gained much traction in the animal poisoning market that Kerr eventually made his threat to put 1080 in the baby formula. Cholecalciferol is one of Connovation’s inventions and they have had it ready to drop from the air for 20 years.” –
John Veysey, Coromandel, 30 April, 2019
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For those who were not around or aware at the time, the infant formula blackmail threat led to 60 anti-1080 people (out of 2,600 suspects) being interviewed by NZ Police, some as many as four times, yet all along it was a crime committed by a member of the poison industry itself.
Jon Morgan, editor of NZ Farmer magazine, won the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Star Award last October, the first New Zealander to do so. He is an amazing example of a totally bigoted journalist! Read here:
And all along a corrupt and greedy poisoner, Jeremy Kerr, was behind the infant formula threat, which cost the NZ taxpayer millions and millions of dollars!
Search the Register for every hazardous substance & new organism…
A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.
Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′.
NOTE:Comment by the author … ” I saw a news item that said he is out of hospital now. According to Kathy White’s research he spent a month in ICU, however, having opened a container in which something had spilt. But Worksafe is not going to release any findings until May, 2020.”
I see that things have been developing on the 1080 front. (As much as I dislike FB & the ever encroaching censorship, it is the main platform for the latest info by the myriad of excellent researchers & environmentalist groups on 1080 developments) … there has for starters been the event concerning the man who was poisoned at the 1080 factory in Christchurch, nary a word in lamestream media of his condition or what he was poisoned by. It appears to be top secret.
So why can’t they tell us?
My guess which isn’t rocket science of course, is that it WAS 1080. (They can’t get away with ‘botulism’ this time as it was in a 1080 factory & it was an accident .. bit of a stretch
The deadly Class 1A Ecotoxin, 1080 poison, slathered all over NZ for more than 50 years & still we have ‘pests’
to spin the botulism fairy tale … see all related articles on that debacle here). Damage control in my humble opinion but hopefully now folk are beginning to join dots & see that what the good NZ MD Charles Baycroft said is true … they won’t test for 1080 and for a reason. If you don’t test of course you won’t find it. Clever isn’t it? See at this link what happens if you do express the desire to fully conduct studies on this at an academic level. Hint: you won’t be celebrated with any science awards. The NZ corporation is not into independent science at all. Try presenting some independent research to your local councils and see the response.
Anyhow I digress & I haven’t even mentioned the furore over the trucking of 14 odd tonnes of flood damaged 1080 pellets all the way to our own Bonny Glen landfill in the Rangitikei. (Read RNZ’s take on it here). You know, the landfill that’s now gotten the Rangitikei dubbed by locals as the ‘toilet bowl’ (formerly grain bowl) of NZ, the one recently quadrupled in size that had all the cover ups on the volume of leachate being disposed of via the WWTP (submission at the link by then local Hamish Allan)... a gentleman’s agreement at the point of sale that stretched somewhat & came to light via onto-it people who noticed the night pumping of leachate into the plant. The council there employs the same modus operandi as your esteemed corporation cum government … they don’t do instream biota surveys (well hardly ever) so’s they won’t find that the water quality has deteriorated. You can read about all of that at the Bonny Glen pages at the main menu. The consent hearings by the way to expand the tip were held 30 minutes drive away in Feilding, not in Marton, the location of concern. And the session I attended saw one of the three man panel make a Freudian slip saying ‘when the consents are granted’ not ‘if’.
Intriguing.
To boot, the unfortunate folk who live on certain streets in Marton have to endure refuse trucks rumbling by at 5-10 minute intervals starting at 6am (and why through town when there is a suitable network of equally accessible country roads is anybody’s guess) along with the wafting of the stench from the ginormous landfill just kilometers away under certain wind conditions. And I haven’t even mentioned the feral cats, the rats & the seagulls that drop rubbish all over surrounding farms, allegedly causing the death at times of stock. As you could say, for the town folk as well as those adjacent to the tip, stiff cheese for the plummet in their property values. They weren’t using their crystal balls like the esteemed authorities were. When the whole landfill expansion idea was sprung upon them & they organized a public meeting, District Councilors whom they’d elected to represent them were not allowed to comment or offer advice of any kind. They sat there silent whilst the debate raged. The illusion of democracy folks.
On the 1080 front, there is info that’s come out from an OIA request by lawyer Sue Grey & Councilor Kathy White regarding residue tests, proving that 1080 is right throughout our food chain (more in a post to come). So all that those pesky ‘conspiracy theorists’ have been going on about for ages might be true after all? And they told us all (& unbelievably, continue to) that 1080’s safe as houses & breaks down in water. No surprizes there. Your country Kiwis is corrupt to the core. Money matters & you don’t any more. Roger Douglas has a lot to answer for.
I also heard on a similar line, that NZ’s Northland kids have one of the highest rates of rheumatic fever in the world, due it’s reported, to poverty & homelessness (43K in NZ homeless). But then according to a recent OIA request I made they’ve rid us of some 3K state homes, once a public asset. And people are reporting these homes are still being bulldozed. If you see any being expunged in your area please let us know. Sad isn’t it, when NZ was once hailed as clean and green & a country that cared for its people? In fact I remember Jacindarella recently paying lip service at Buckingham Palace to the sentiment that people come first, wearing her gifted korowai (feather cloak), reciting ‘he tangata, he tangata, he tangata‘, part of a Māori proverb that said people mattered (most of all) … words to that effect. She was holding high a glass of wine and toasting the people. Well, the people are toast unfortunately, as she carries on the globalist wrecking policies from decades ago that get more destructive with each ‘new’ corporation/govt that in reality doesn’t differ from one side to the other whilst we’re all still fed the illusion of choice. (Remember Gareth Hughes’ Green Party speech?) That’s the reality of the new world order, one world government, Agenda 2030 scam they’ve been inching on us since the big announcement early ’90s by George Bush Sr … aka …. the ‘sustainable development’ LIE.
On that note … I’ll expand on all of the above in posts to come. There’s quite a lot going on.
Thanks again to all those who read, correspond, comment & enlighten me with your links, information, advice & criticisms … and sharing your own personal visions & plans on how to push all of that manure uphill with the proverbial garden rake.
This includes 66 tonnes of 1080 baits targeted for the 33,000 ha aerial 1080 drop at Makarora in 2015.
The pre-feed was dropped at Makarora but the poison was not. Bad timing, and initial faulty flight charts, (by HeliOtago Ltd presumably), meant the drop was postponed and then foiled by the onset of winter.
DoC Wanaka announced the poisoning would happen the following Spring but this never eventuated. The poison was dumped. They have conveniently left this out of the OIA response to John Veysey in February, 2019 (see attached), and pretended they haven’t kept records.
Just as well WE do !!!
The comment in the OIA response to Mr. Thompson about Makarora, February, 2017 – “No toxic bait was transported to the operation site. The transport cost from storage to landfill was $8,000” – is I think, just DoC being tricky. It was again rumoured to have been stored at the storage shed at Haast. This is backed up by the fact that the poison operation had been due to happen any day, but as the prefeed didn’t happen until May 27, 2015, winter had set in and they just couldn’t drop the poison.
The loading site at Cameron Flat, Makarora, would have been too dark and cold. As it was, the prefeed was done in icy conditions (see photos).
So WHY did DoC leave the 66 tonnes out of the “1080 poison to landfill” chart sent to John Veysey of Coromandel as a result of his OIA request in February this year? The OIA response only admits to 34.31 tonnes of 1080 poison to landfill. (See attached)
Add in the 66 tonnes from 2015/16 and the 16.2 tonnes of flood-damaged 1080 poison baits from Haast this year (as stated in a recent OIA response to David Haynes), and we have a massive 116.51 tonnes 1080 baits to landfill… admitted to by DoC anyway. Is this ALL ?!!! How much have OSPRI and regional councils dumped?
Also, where in the ‘Manawatu-Wanganui region’ were the 66 tonnes of 1080 baits dumped? At the Bonny Glen landfill at Marton again?
Remember this post on social media? September just gone? QUOTE: 
![Milford_Sound_vertical_water_ways[1]](https://envirowatchnz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/milford_sound_vertical_water_ways1.jpg?w=474)
destructive with each ‘new’ corporation/govt that in reality doesn’t differ from one side to the other whilst we’re all still fed the illusion of choice. (Remember Gareth Hughes’ Green Party 
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