DOC defends its notification protocol after coming under fire from a Taranaki iwi

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Dead eels were found on a South Taranaki beach in April.

Sandra Robinson/Supplied

Dead eels were found on a South Taranaki beach in April.

The Department of Conservation is defending the way it communicated with iwi after being notified about the presence of dead eels on a South Taranaki beach.

On April 23, 20 dead eels were found on Patea Beach by a resident, who then notified DOC about the unusual finding.

Ngāti Ruanui is the iwi of the area and earlier this week its chief executive said DOC did not follow through quickly enough.

However, DOC Taranaki operations manager Gareth Hopkins said the agency followed its notification protocol and contacted the iwi within 24 hours.

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“Our staff contacted three members of Ngāti Ruanui including environmental officers who we would usually share this information with when these kinds of instances occur,” he said.

Hopkins said there had been “an initial exchange of text messages with a Ngāti Ruanui representative” on Sunday, April 23, the same day the eels had been found.

“Our process is to alert Treaty Partners within 24 hours, and that is what has occurred in this situation.

“DOC notified Ngāti Ruanui on Monday, 24 April and we have a record of communications showing this was undertaken,” he said.

The Ministry for Primary Industries was notified by DOC on April 28.

DOC Taranaki operations manager Gareth Hopkins said Ngāti Ruanui was notified within 24 hours of the dead eels’ finding.

Sandra Robinson/Supplied

DOC Taranaki operations manager Gareth Hopkins said Ngāti Ruanui was notified within 24 hours of the dead eels’ finding.

Ngāti Ruanui initially said it had no contact until Wednesday, April 26, but later said they had been told on Monday, April 24, but only as a response to the iwi head of the environmental department contacting DOC on Sunday.

Ngāti Ruanui chief executive Rachel Rae said this urgent communication should happen in real-time.

“What it probably is, it’s just a communication breakdown,” Rae said.

She said DOC should notify proactively in the first place, without being prompted by an iwi member.

“He chased both TRC and DOC, and he got notified on the Monday, that they started an investigation on that Sunday.

“We shouldn’t wait for 24 hours,” Rae said.

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