Complaint Filed on Moehau 1080 Drop

A formal complaint was lodged today on behalf of northern Coromandel Peninsula residents in response to plans by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to start regular aerial 1080 toxin pest control operations on the iconic Moehau mountain range.

The complaint by abutters and immediate neighbours of the Moehau conservation estate asks that a toxin operation scheduled for May to June be indefinitely suspended and that the Hauraki area manager meet publicly with concerned locals to agree upon pest control measures acceptable to both DOC and the community.

The DOC aerial 1080 operation, announced in November, would include 4,500 hectares that border the settlements of Sandy Bay and Port Charles, residences and farms along the Port Jackson Road, popular camping grounds at Stony Bay and Fantail Bay, and the Coromandel Coastal Walkway.

The complaint to Waikato Conservator Greg Martin and DOC Director General Al Morrison cites local resident objections to 1080 toxin baits being dropped into their domestic and stock water sources; risks of accidental toxin drops outside the operational area; risks to domestic animals; toxic hopper dust drift onto farms and homes; loss of organic status for manuka honey bee hives within 3 kilometres of the poisoned area, and; adverse long-term effects on the local, green tourist economy and jobs.

The complaint follows a formal petition by local residents and regular visitors asking that the aerial 1080 programme on their “sacred mountain” be canceled. Moehau is the final resting place of the Arawa chief Tama te Kapua.

According to Port Charles farmer Reihana Robinson, who entered the complaint on behalf of area residents, “DOC has failed to justify in any way this major policy shift to aerial 1080 after many years of successful possum, stoat and rat control by trapping and ground-based toxin baiting. The Moehau forest canopy and bush are healthier than ever, with recent bird reintroductions” an unqualified success.”

“Once 1080 is dropped, rat populations explode and necessitate regular repoisoning every two to three years. This means ongoing damage and risks to DOC’s immediate neighbours, the local community and the Coromandel economy well into the future,” Robinson said. “The only justification that has been offered is the questionable claim that aerial 1080 is the cheapest pest control option.”

“DOC Hauraki has refused to consider alternatives to its aerial 1080 plan. Some neighbours have been visited by field staff to discuss ways to minimise dangers, but the department has steadfastly refused to consider eliminating those dangers the simple way.”

The wider Moehau community at the top of the peninsula is well known for its active participation in a wide range of pest control and biodiversity programmes.

According to Robinson, “The community has supported DOC and shares its long-term vision of rich biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. What we cannot accept, however, are the unnecessary threats to human health, non-target species, and our local economy presented by the new DOC aerial toxin plan. We are simply asking that they work together with the community, not in opposition to it.

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