Call for action to address pollution in Tamaki Estuary

Few people know more about the health of the Tamaki Estuary than Bruce Kendall.

The Howick Local Board member and Tamaki Estuary Environmental Forum co-chair says pollution in the estuary hasn’t been properly addressed by Auckland Council for many years.

Local boards around the estuary recently voted, and will be voting again in March next year, to advocate to the council to fund investigation of pollution in the estuary and come up with a plan to address it.

“The Tamaki Estuary and its feeder stream are rated as degraded by council and legislation requires council to fix them,” Kendall says.

“Anecdotal evidence going back 50 to 60 years shows the Tamaki Estuary near Pakuranga Creek was a great place to catch a lot of yellow-bellied flounder.

“They’re no longer there, probably because the fish food sources have been killed by pollution and have not established.”

Kendall says coverage by the Times in recent years of eel deaths in local waterways highlighted concerns around pollution in the estuary.

A story in February, 2021, revealed an investigation had failed to determine what killed more than 30 eels in the upper estuary in Huntington Park, near Ti Rakau Drive.

Photos taken of the estuary at the time showed multiple dead eels of different lengths, as well as a dead fish, floating near the water’s surface.

One image showed a dead eel surrounded by rubbish including what appeared to be about 20 small pieces of plastic.

The council said at the time they had been unable to establish what killed the eels.

“When we arrived on site, there were no obvious signs the water was polluted and we were unable to establish the source of a potential discharge,” the council said at the time.

“Further testing upstream showed the water was within normal pH levels.”

Kendall says he’s done his best to get the council to investigate and solve such issues.

“From my investigations and statements from council, it appears the eel deaths in the stream next to Bunnings was due to the stormwater pond ‘Waka Maumahara’ at the intersection of Te Irirangi Drive and Te Koha Road getting over-heated in summer.

“The oxygen is depleted and the eels, and everything else, dies.

“I’ve asked council to address the water quality issues and they came back and said more or less nothing can be done [as] it’s a stormwater pond.

“There are several other stormwater ponds and streams feeding the Tamaki Estuary that will also be over-heating and depleting oxygen to eel-killing levels.”

Kendall says he has environmental DNA (EDNA) data that shows there are endangered species in the catchment such as longfin eels.

“I have photos and video and EDNA to show orca, dolphin, sharks, seals and endangered birds visiting or living in the Tamaki Estuary and its catchment.

“If we want to see these species thrive in the Tamaki Estuary, we need to make sure it is safe for them to feed here.”