Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Fungi in sleepers massive risk: MP

By by Joseph Aldridge
Bay of Plenty Times·
2 Sep, 2012 09:20 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New Zealand First MP Brendan Horan is calling for heads to roll at KiwiRail, despite the state-owned company saying it is responding responsibly to the discovery of a batch of rotting railway sleepers.

Last week Mr Horan, who is based in Tauranga, released what he claimed was a leaked KiwiRail document detailing rotting railway sleepers infected with a Peruvian fungus.

Mr Horan said KiwiRail's policy of replacing rotten sleepers with "visually sound" sleepers was a "recipe for disaster".

KiwiRail responded by releasing a statement about how it was dealing with the sleepers.

"In order to seek further understanding about the fungus type causing the decay in some of our imported sleepers we commissioned independent DNA testing," said chief executive Jim Quinn.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Test results just received by us on a consignment of sleepers contained at one of our workshops indicated that two of the fungus types are new to New Zealand.

"Testing confirmed that these pose no danger to humans and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is currently investigating whether the fungus poses any biosecurity risk.

"However, we are now taking extra steps as recommended by MPI to sanitise and contain the sleepers we are systematically removing from the network.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Until we have resolved a disposal strategy with MPI we will be applying a household bleach solution to the sleepers as they are removed from the network and then keep them covered as we transport and store them."

"The results of the testing that found potentially unwanted fungus types only relate to the consignment of sleepers that are being held at our workshop.

"The initial testing we commissioned on sleepers on the network found they contained a fungus common to New Zealand."

"Despite this we are implementing a no-risk approach. Even if it turns out the sleepers we are removing don't contain the unwanted fungus type, the extra measures we are taking are a responsible move."

Mr Horan said the sleepers posed a "massive security risk right across the country".

"The damage that these two new fungi could inflict on the environment could be dramatic."

"Either KiwiRail imported untreated wooden sleepers, or the treatment process was useless."

"KiwiRail management must now do the right thing and make those responsible for this blunder pay with their jobs."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

It will add up to 125 vehicle movements an hour on local roads.

16 Jul 09:04 PM
Premium
Premium
'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

16 Jul 09:03 PM
Premium
Premium
More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'

16 Jul 08:54 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP