Today, the New Zealand Herald reported:
A spokeswoman for Maritime New Zealand confirmed representatives for Braemar Howells were sent to the beach today to put in security measures as some of the debris could be hazardous.
Maritime New Zealand said it was important no one touched any debris or containers.
[...]
Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby said the inclement weather had kept people off the beaches.
He said people needed to leave debris washed ashore to the response teams.
"Kiwis are inquisitive by nature and I'm sure there will be a lot of people on the beaches looking for debris. The main thing is... they don't touch it.
"The key issue has always been the oil, what oil that may have ended up on beaches will be very small and will be removed very quickly."
Neither Stuart Crosby nor the unnamed Maritime New Zealand spokesperson said why people shouldn't touch the debris... while Minister for the environment, Nick Smith says there's no risk at all.
The reporter in the following video, Jono Hutchison even said that it's just milk powder leaking from the ship... talk about mixed messages.
The discoloration in the ocean you see in the huge plum coming from the Rena is not just milk powder... it's a mixture of highly toxic chemicals that are hazardous to human health but even more damaging to marine life. The news report continues similar downplaying of the disaster and misinformation from Nick Smith.
Way back in October 2011, I wrote to Maritime New Zealand to formally request a copy of the MV Rena's inventory. I made my OIA request because of the differing stories authorities had been telling us about what Rena is carrying.
Despite numerous emails, the information has still not been provided. A subsequent formal complaint to the Ombudsman is being ignored... so what don't they want us to find out?
