The storage facility, made with concrete and steel, was kept secret at the request of the Health Ministry.
Video / Ben Dickens
Graphics / Corey Fleming
The risk of organised crime groups stealing radioactive sources from a facility near Palmerston North is “remote but not impossible”, according to Auckland-based security analyst Paul Buchanan.
He made the comments as a report obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act (OIA) warned storing the country’s radioactivewaste next to key New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) assets could heighten security risks for the defence force.
The facility, which holds low to intermediate-level radioactive waste, including depleted uranium from disused cancer treatment machines, was built on NZDF land in rural Manawatū without public or iwi consultation.
The facility sits next to a cluster of NZDF communication dishes.
The building, which has concrete and steel walls, was built next to New Zealand Defence Force communication dishes near Palmerston North. Photo / Ben Dickens
The existence of the concrete and steel-clad building, which is surrounded by CCTV cameras, a 2.5m-high fence and padlocked gates was first revealed by the Herald in November.
Neighbouring landowners say they feel deceived the facility was constructed in secret and want it moved.
In 2021, prior to its construction, then Health Minister Andrew Little commissioned a consultancy group to prepare a report for a section of NZDF land to be redesignated from “defence purposes” to use for “storage purposes”.
The proposal has the potential to result in an increased security risk
The report by Kahu Environmental, obtained by the Herald under the (OIA), recommended the amendment be confirmed, saying the effects on neighbouring landowners and on the cultural value of the area were “less than minor”.
However, the report also noted the storage of hazardous substances next to NZDF communication dishes – infrastructure of “regional and national importance” – could elevate security risks.
“Due to the nature of the materials to be stored in the MOH [Health Ministry] facility, I consider the proposal has the potential to result in an increased security risk to the MOD [Defence Ministry] communications facility,” the report’s author Lily Campbell said.
Labour's Peeni Henare signed a document to progress the construction of a radioactive waste facility next to defence force communication dishes in 2021. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Labour’s Peeni Henare was Defence Minister at the time and signed a document so the NZDF would not be seen as an affected party, and planning for the building’s construction could progress.
“At the time that I was minister, I was comfortable with the level of risk associated with the storage facility’s proximity to the communications facility based on the information provided to me,” he told the Herald.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman told the Herald officials worked closely with the NZDF on the design, build and security arrangements of the facility.
“The ministry has completed a threat assessment for the National Radiation Storage Facility and taken appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the public and security of the spent sources,” the spokeswoman said.
‘Criminal or terrorist’ threat
An architectural sketch of the old Christchurch radioactive waste storage facility, part of which was used to hold depleted uranium.
In November 2020, the Health Ministry’s manager of corporate security Paul van den Broek wrote a report for his colleagues which noted the global threats of poorly secured spent radioactive sources.
The report highlighted various accidents around the world which caused deaths or contamination issues in places like Mexico, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand.
In Thailand’s Samut Prakan province in February 2020, an insecurely stored cobalt-60 radiation source was collected by scrap metal dealers who dismantled it and unknowingly exposed themselves to radiation.
Ten people were hospitalised, three of whom eventually died because of radiation injuries.
The report also outlined international examples of radiation sources being the target of theft by criminal groups.
In 2015, criminal groups in Moldova smuggled radioactive and nuclear material to the Islamic State terror network in Iraq and Syria.
The report said this was one of several incidents where “criminal groups attempted to sell radioactive materials and is indicative of an expanded black market with an increased demand from terrorist organisations”.
‘Dirty bombs’
Paul Buchanan is the director of geopolitical and risk consultancy 36th Parallel Assessments. Photo / 36th Parallel Assessments
Security analyst Paul Buchanan told the Herald the likelihood of the site near Palmerston North being targeted by a criminal network was “remote but not impossible”.
Buchanan, who’s the director of geopolitical and risk consultancy 36th Parallel Assessments, said radioactive sources could be used to build a “dirty bomb” – a device with an explosive charge used to aerosolise radiation in an enclosed space like a shopping mall.
He said years ago any mention of stored radioactive material would have been enough for people to stay far away from it, but that’s no longer the case, and the risk of an attempted break-in can’t be discounted.
“15 years ago, it [the risk of theft], would have been zero, but now, given the international reach of organised crime, it would not be zero,” he told the Herald.
He queried who would respond if a break-in was detected, saying it would need to be more than unarmed private security guards.
“Have they [the Health Ministry] thought through the full implications if someone is really determined to get their hands on this stuff? Do they have layered protection? There are some open questions about the levels of security given the precariousness of the materials involved,” he said.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman said for national security reasons, the ministry was unable to comment on specific security arrangements at the facility.
However, former director general of health Diana Sarfati previously told the Herald the facility near Palmerston North was “world leading” in terms of its safety and security, the waste is encapsulated in concrete and monitored “weekly” by scientists.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.
