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Sandra Robinson/Supplied
A local iwi chief executive said they were notified to do a cultural oversight of the scene where 20 dead eels were found.
The 20 dead eels found on Patea beach by a local were already decomposing by the time MPI and a local iwi were notified by the Department of Conservation.
DOC was told on April 23 by a local about the finding of dead fish , but local iwi Ngāti Ruanui was only notified on April 26 and MPI on April 28.
Ngāti Ruanui chief executive Rachel Rae said had they been notified earlier, things could have been done differently.
“It wasn’t followed through quick enough,” Rae said.
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She said because the iwi was not informed, there was “no cultural oversight”.
“We would have had a kaumātua go down, at least say a karakia.”
A DOC ranger notified the iwi on Wednesday, April 26, three days after the dead eels were found on the beach.
“I understand that there is an investigation at the moment and that they are going to keep us up to date,” Rae said.
She said she was worried the event could bear similarities to the Silverfern Farms event in Hāwera when eels died as a result of an ammonia leak in the air.
After the toxic spill and legal prosecution, the iwi ran a programme in collaboration with Silverfern Farms to repopulate the stream.
Rae said it made no sense to have 20 dead tuna (freshwater eels) washed-up ashore without any explanation.
On Friday, DOC rangers in Taranaki notified Biosecurity New Zealand, part of the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Sandra Robinso/Supplied
Dozens of dead eels were found on Patea beach by a passerby, who notified DOC on Sunday, April 23.
In an emailed statement, Biosecurity New Zealand team manager for aquatic health Mike Taylor said the investigators determined there was a low risk that an exotic disease was involved in the deaths of the eels.
“Given the eels were already in a state of decomposition when they were discovered and DOC was notified, it was unlikely that they could have been suitable for testing by Biosecurity New Zealand’s Animal Health Laboratory.
“The biosecurity risk associated with this matter remains low and we remain satisfied that the deaths were unlikely to be related to any exotic disease.
“There have been no further reports of dead eels at Patea beach,” Taylor said.
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