81-year-old volunteers for Fox River rubbish clean-up

Thursday, 4 July 2019

Drone footage shows full extent of the damage to the Waiho Bridge, near Franz Josef on the West Coast, in March 2019.

An 81-year-old Aucklander and his grandson have answered a nationwide plea for volunteers to help clean up 5500 tonnes of rubbish exposed by a storm on the West Coast.

Volunteers and the Department of Conservation (DOC) are working to remove rubbish scattered across about 75 kilometres of coastline and riverbed after torrential rainfall and flooding exposed a disused landfill at Fox River in late March.

John Duder, a former environmental engineer, said he volunteered to help clean up the formerly pristine landscape because the effect on marine life would be devastating.

Aucklander John Duder and grandson Mukai Duder-Hura are volunteering to pick up rubbish from the Fox River landfill disaster.

'This is a major environmental disaster on the scale of the Rena oil spill,' he said.

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Mukai Duder-Hura, 13, is volunteering with his grandfather to pick up rubbish from the Fox River landfill disaster.

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About 5500 tonnes of rubbish was exposed and had spread across about 75 kilometres of coast and riverbed.

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'I like to think that every piece of plastic I pick up here is one fish saved because it is not ending up at sea.'

Duder brought his 13-year-old grandson, Mukai Duder-Hura, with him as it was an 'immensely worthwhile' activity they could do together during the school holidays. Visiting South Westland's glaciers had also been on Duder's bucket list.

'I've never been this far south before. It's a very special place,' he said.

The 81-year-old was fit, but found it hard bending over all day so got down on his knees to pick up the litter.

'Even sitting in the one place I almost filled a sack of rubbish,' he said.

Duder-Hura, a Dilworth School student, said he was proud of his grandfather and did not hesitate to help out.

'I have never seen so much plastic in one area. There was lots of it and that is only the stuff on top.'

Diggers were going through the river and bringing up more plastic after the volunteers had picked up everything on the surface.

DOC was providing accommodation, lunch and dinner for the volunteers. West Coast businesses initially donated meals and accommodation, but were now being paid by DOC.

Matheson Cafe owner Chris Alexander, who he was providing packed lunches, said he was glad DOC had taken over the clean up because the job was too big for locals and the district council.

He was disappointed the Government had only given $300,000 for the work though.

'They should be saying 'it doesn't matter how much it costs lets get this cleaned up' … Relying on volunteers is not the fastest way forward.'

The council also needed funding to remove the remaining landfill away from the river as the existing rock work would not survive another big rain event, he said.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said on Tuesday that it would help out for four weeks from late July.

It would send 70 personnel, helicopter support, and military vehicles to transport personnel and volunteers from Fox Glacier to collect bags of rubbish.

Cook Saddle pub manager Shelley Scott, who is providing evening meals for volunteers, said the Government should have sent the NZDF to help sooner.

'If the Government had been taking it seriously from the beginning they would have been here three months ago.

'People are only understanding now how bad it is, the extent of the problem.'

DOC community ranger Stephanie Sanson said more volunteers were needed.

'We need 60 plus a day volunteers out at the river. Lately we have had 15 out there.'

DOC South Westland operations manager Wayne Costello said about 5500 tonnes of rubbish, most of which was plastic, had contaminated the Fox River.

The Westland District Council was forced to abandon the clean up at the end of May after spending nearly $600,000. It remains responsible for the old landfill itself.

Minister of Conservation and Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage earlier said DOC had taken over the clean up because the contaminated area was within a Unesco World Heritage area, a national park and a marine reserve.

DOC wants to recruit a large number of volunteers to help with the clean up. People can sign up to help online at doc.govt.nz/operation-tidy-fox-volunteer