Tamarind Taranaki Limited is insolvent and no longer has a contract with BW Offshore Limited for storage and offtake of oil, yet the sub-sea infrastructure - petroleum mining equipment such as pipelines and cables - owned by Tamarind is still connected to the Umuroa, a floating production, storage and offloading
Taranaki iwi and Ngāti Tara hapū oppose fishing vessel dumping on seabed
Stratford Press
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Tamarind's producing fields are connected to the Umuroa, a floating production, storage and offloading vessel.
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Te Kāhui o Taranaki Chairperson Leanne Horo is concerned that all operators and their successors have not honoured the good faith engagement with Taranaki iwi.
"Any decision to dump will set a dangerous precedent especially during a time when new decommissioning regulations are being created to prevent irreversible legacy issues. This is not genuine engagement and will give industry a worse reputation than it already has among our people."
"Fundamentally, Taranaki Iwi and the hapū of Ngāti Tara are opposed to this activity," she says.
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Te Kāhui o Taranaki Pou Taiao Puna Wano-Bryant says that the protection of the environment is a main focus for Taranaki iwi.
"Taranaki iwi focus on protecting, enhancing and sustaining the mouri of Tangaroa ki Tai. We are a coastal people and many of our traditions reflect continuous connection with our coastal marine environment."
"Our Taranaki Iwi Environmental Management Plan Taiao Taiora requires an assessment of the cumulative impact associated with ongoing invasive activities such as leaving structures on the seabed.
"Taranaki Iwi and Ngāti Tara were clear in all their engagements that all operators commit to the removal of all structures that are placed or deposited on the seabed. Tamarind agreed to this."
"In Tamarind's consent, the EPA included a specific condition for cessation of drilling works confirming that the structures that were placed on the seabed to undertake the drilling work are removed."
She says if there is a technicality which excludes production infrastructure being removed such as wellheads and flowlines then they expect the Crown to step in.
"We welcome all people as visitors to our rohe and expect that if they make a mess they clean up all of it before they leave, not just half of it." she says.
