Greenpeace protesters block shipment of palm kernel at Port Taranaki

Sunday, 6 April 2025

Greenpeace protestors prevent shipment of palm kernel at Port Taranaki on Sunday.

Four Greenpeace protesters have been arrested by police after they occupied a storage facility at Port Taranaki and disrupted a shipment of palm kernel.

Six protesters, two on the roof and four inside a storage facility for Agrifeeds, a supplier to Fonterra, had chained themselves to pillars in order to prevent a shipment of 30,000 tonnes of palm kernel unloading.

Protesters had been at the storage facility for six and half hours. The protesters on the roof have also unfurled a 500 m² banner labelling Foterra butter brand Anchor as a “rainforest killer”.

The organisation said they were protesting Fonterra’s use of palm kernel as cow feed on Fonterra farms due to the product’s links to “illegal palm plantations and deforestation of paradise rainforests in Southeast Asia”.

Spokesperson for Greenpeace, Sinead Deighton-O’Flynn, who was inside the storage facility, said that Fonterra’s marketing of Anchor butter as grass-fed was a deception.

“Every year dairy cows in New Zealand are eating almost two millon tonnes of palm kernel imported from Southeast Asia.

“Rainforests are being burned, peatlands are being drained, and rows of palm trees are being planted in their place to feed Fonterra’s oversized dairy herd.”

Danika Plowman, another activist who was inside the storage facility, added that rainforests, and the wildlife that inhabit them, should not be destroyed in order to feed dairy cows in New Zealand.

Greenpeace protesters have chained themselves to pillars within a storage facility at Port Taranaki in order to disrupt a shipment of palm kernel.

She claims that just this year the facility they had occupied was linked to illegal palm plantations in Indonesia and that Fonterra had failed to take accountability for the deforestation in its supply chain and instead hid behind “greenwash” by “falsely claiming that its products are grass-fed”.

“We’re here to tell Fonterra to end the use of palm kernel and cut its ties to deforestation now.”

Port Taranaki general manager Alex Park said in response to the protest that the safety of Port Taranaki customers, staff and the protesters was “paramount”.

The port operational area was off limits to the public because it was a hazardous environment and there are strict health and safety considerations, Park said.

“We understand and accept the public’s right to protest in a peaceful and safe way, but do not condone action that breaches the port boundary and puts the welfare of port staff, customers and the protesters themselves at risk.”

Danika Plowman, a protester at the storage facility, said they were there to tell Fonterra to stop using palm kernel.

Park added that Port Taranaki was working with police to remove the protesters “quickly and safely.”

Port operations have continued while the protest is ongoing.

Two protesters on the roof of the storage facility at Port Taranaki have unfurled a 500m² banner labelling Foterra butter brand Anchor as a “rainforest killer”.

A police spokesperson said officers were in attendance at Port Taranaki where several people were “reported to be unlawfully on private property and tresspassed by Port management”.

The four arrested will be charged with trespass, the spokesperson added.