Editorial: Rena's future is not in the Bay

Full removal of the wreck might be a costly exercise but it is the only right thing to do, writes Dylan Thorne. Photo / Alan Gibson

It's been two years since the 236-metre container vessel MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef.

The immediate aftermath saw businesses fearing for their survival and beachgoers lamenting the loss of their pristine surf and sand as oil washed up along the coast. The catastrophic nature of the event was captured in images of black oil layered across Papamoa Beach and dead seabirds cloaked in black gung.

The memory of the fallout from that early morning grounding may be fading, if ever so slightly.

This week the disaster was brought into sharp focus with the release of two reports. One highlighted the failings in Maritime New Zealand's initial response. The other explored the impact on the environment. It concluded it had minimal lasting effect except for heightened levels of contaminants contained to Astrolabe Reef and the north-east area of Motiti Island.

While the findings of the environmental report are indeed good news, we should not assume that this disaster is over. Nor should it add any weight to the argument the wreck should be left on the reef.

Iwi leaders are concerned the positive environmental findings will weaken the order for full wreck removal and the conclusions of the report do not match the first-hand experience of Motiti islanders.

Contaminants from the wreck have robbed the islanders of their "pantry", one explained.

Full removal of the wreck might be a costly exercise but it is the only right thing to do. The Rena does not belong on Astrolabe Reef and every last scrap of the wreck should be removed.

As long as it remains on the reef the disturbing legacy of Rena will linger.