No long-term hangover after wine spill into Napier’s Ahuriri Estuary

Hawke's Bay Regional Council says the wine spill discoloured the water of Ahuriri Estuary. Photo / Jenny Easton

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) says an unexpected spill of a large amount of wine into the Ahuriri Estuary in Napier hasn’t caused a long-term hangover.

The council said it has found no clear environmental impact from last week’s spill, despite receiving reports of the estuary water changing colour and smelling of wine.

It is unclear how much liquid was spilt into the estuary. An HBRC spokeswoman said the September 29 incident, and how it occurred, was under investigation by its pollution response team, with hopes of wrapping it up “within three weeks”.

The spokeswoman said the council had been monitoring the area and because the estuary’s drain was tidal, “the diluted containment” has gradually been carried out to sea.

“This was managed by using the tidal gate at the Thames drain exit point, which allows restriction of flow from the drain into the estuary,” she said.

“Over three days of monitoring, including visual assessments, we found no clear environmental impacts, aside from some water discolouration and an initial odour.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.