Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post 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
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

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

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Suspected asbestos dumped in Waimana River near Whakatāne 'incomprehensible'

Samantha Olley
By Samantha Olley
Rotorua Daily Post·
29 Jul, 2020 07:20 PM3 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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied

Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied

The dumping of suspected asbestos in one of the Bay of Plenty's much-loved rivers has been described as "incomprehensible" and is now being investigated.

Whakatāne deputy mayor Andrew Iles said he found the dumped roof sheeting - believed to contain asbestos - in the Waimana River which he described as the "gateway" to the Waimana community in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

"For somebody to dump asbestos sheeting, not on the side of the river but in the river as well ... I just didn't honestly believe such people could exist," Iles said.

Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied
Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied

The sheeting and other rubbish at Wardlaw Glade were first reported to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on Friday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Iles, who is also on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful board, passes through the Waimana Gorge daily and said the site where the waste was left was a "much-loved and well-used swimming hole".

"It's a lovely area."

Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied
Waimana River rubbish dumping. Photo / Supplied

However, he said often in summer the carpark at the site was left with rubbish "daily", including toilet paper, bottles and fast-food wrapping.

The latest dumping was the first he had seen in a while, Iles said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Where there's a will there's a way and if you've got buggers with loads of bloody rubbish that think 'here's a means to our end' - they'll find a time to get the stuff in there and dump it."

Iles has served on Whakatāne District Council since the 2000s and said he knew of at least one compostable toilet and two portaloos that had been stolen from the site.

Discover more

Car parts, containers dumped in Rotorua stream

27 Jul 02:18 AM
New Zealand

Lawyer for bottling giant heckled by gallery

28 Jul 08:40 PM

Asbestos confirmed in Waimana River dumping

10 Aug 03:22 AM

"These are our frustrations, trying to keep it in as pristine condition as possible."

Iles said last week's culprit was not necessarily from Waimana because the river was frequently visited by people from Whakatāne township and further afield.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council compliance manager Stephen Mellor said an asbestos assessor collected samples from the material yesterday.

Some of the material was removed on Monday and the rest was removed after sampling, he said. If there was strong evidence to suggest a particular person or group of people were responsible "the regional council would follow an enforcement process".

This may involve: "Serving the offender with an abatement notice, $300 infringement fine, prosecution or a combination."

Toi Te Ora Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack. Photo / File
Toi Te Ora Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack. Photo / File

Toi Te Ora Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack said any fly-tipping could pose potential health hazards.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This could be physical harm from the waste and from contaminated water, he said.

"Anyone wishing to swim in a waterway should do their own assessment of the local situation."

Shoemack suggested people check the immediate environment for the likes of farm animals, discoloured water, water that smells unusual, or foreign objects in water.

"To avoid illnesses such as diarrhoea, vomiting, skin infections or ear infections, it's also best to avoid swimming in rivers, streams, beaches, lakes and harbour areas for at least 48 hours after heavy rain."

Waimana River rubbish dumping found this week. Photo / Supplied
Waimana River rubbish dumping found this week. Photo / Supplied
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM

One man is charged with manslaughter and the other with being an accessory after the fact.

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

10 Jul 10:45 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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