Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment
8 July 2015

$160,000 to investigate potentially contaminated site in New Plymouth

The Government will invest $160,000 to support the investigation of a potentially contaminated site in New Plymouth, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“Petroleum production wells were drilled on the site at the corner of Bayly Road and Ocean View Parade between 1931 and 1945, and this historic petroleum exploration may have caused the land to become contaminated with hydrocarbons and metals,” Dr Smith says.

“The $160,000 funding from the Government’s Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund will be used to carry out a detailed site investigation to see whether the land is contaminated and will include a geophysical survey to locate abandoned wells, drilling waste, and the boundary of an urupa.
It will also involve soil sampling to assess the levels of contamination and installation of boreholes for groundwater monitoring.”

The Bayly Road site was returned to the local hapū , Ngāti Te Whiti in 2002. It is currently used as a recreation space by the community, and Ngāti Te Whiti is in the process of developing the site to establish a new marae.

“The site is currently listed as eighth on the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund Priority List, which is designed to target funding at sites that are regional priorities and pose risk to human health or the environment. The funding announced today will cover 50 per cent of the total investigation cost, and this investigation will help inform decisions on the next steps for the site,” Dr Smith says.

The Government’s Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund provides funding to regional councils to assist with the investigation, remedial planning and remediation of contaminated sites that pose a risk to human health and the environment. To date, $42.5 million has been invested to clean-up sites around the country.

Further information on the Fund is available at: www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding/contaminated-sites-remediation-fund

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