The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

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 / The Country

Mysterious death of swans, eels at Napier’s Ahuriri estuary

Mitchell Hageman
By Mitchell Hageman
Multimedia Journalist·Hawkes Bay Today·
1 Feb, 2024 11:00 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

The deaths of eels and swans have been reported at the Ahuriri estuary near Hawke's Bay Airport. Photo / Paul Taylor

The deaths of eels and swans have been reported at the Ahuriri estuary near Hawke's Bay Airport. Photo / Paul Taylor

The mysterious deaths of several animals at Napier’s Ahuriri estuary are being investigated, with initial test results for algal toxins proving inconclusive.

However, experts are not ruling out high water temperatures and PH levels as potential causes.

Involved stakeholders say they are working together to determine what happened to the eels and swans after members of the public raised the issue last weekend.

A post circulating on Facebook showed the dead animals in the water near Hawke’s Bay Airport.

Angie Denby, of the Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society, said one member of the group saw the dead animals and wondered whether the deaths had been caused by humans or by toxicity in the water.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“We don’t know the answer.”

She said the birds were found in an area called The Scrapes, which was enclosed and not fed by a water flow.

Department of Conservation ranger Matthew Brady confirmed that the deaths of several swans and tuna (freshwater eels) were reported to the department last weekend.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Napier City Council was leading the investigation and DoC was helping where it could.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries has also been contacted. Neither swans nor tuna are considered protected in New Zealand,” he said.

Napier City Council executive director of infrastructure Russell Bond said it was working with other organisations to determine the cause of the deaths.

“We were made aware of dead eels in the Westshore Wildlife Reserve on Monday and our environmental staff visited the area to investigate.

“The eels appeared to have been dead for some time.”

Initial testing for algal toxins proved inconclusive, meaning levels were below the detection limit.

“However, recent warmer weather leading to high water temperatures, the presence of algae leading to low oxygen levels, and a high water pH may be factors,” Bond said.

“Our staff will continue to liaise with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Mana Ahuriri.”

Senitra Nathan-March, pou taiao environmental lead for Mana Ahuiri, encouraged people to report any further deaths to MPI, the council or Mana Ahuriri.

“We’d be keen to understand what the effects are out there that are causing our taonga species to pass.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Ahuriri estuary has previously recorded cases of mass wildlife deaths, with one case stemming from pollution from the nearby industrial district.

More than 40,000 litres of acid-contaminated water was extracted from the Napier waterway in 2021 after a hydrochloric acid spill, which killed a significant amount of wildlife.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

05 Jul 07:00 PM
Opinion

Vege tips: Why you should keep a gardening diary

05 Jul 05:00 PM
The Country

Worm woes: Tackling sheep parasites in the 1890s

05 Jul 05:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

05 Jul 07:00 PM

NZ has around 150 small-batch gin distilleries. Make your own at these 3 spots.

Opinion: Are we there yet? The evolution of the great Kiwi Road Trip

Opinion: Are we there yet? The evolution of the great Kiwi Road Trip

05 Jul 05:00 PM
Worm woes: Tackling sheep parasites in the 1890s

Worm woes: Tackling sheep parasites in the 1890s

05 Jul 05:00 PM
Vege tips: Why you should keep a gardening diary

Vege tips: Why you should keep a gardening diary

05 Jul 05:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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