Editorial: Whatever the cost, let's get rid of Rena

Strolling along Papamoa Beach I forget that a container ship that caused widespread panic across the country when it slammed into Astrolabe Reef is slowly decaying beneath the surface of the ocean about 22km out to sea.

The memory lapse is caused by the stunning views along the beach: the white sand that stretches for miles and the surf which, depending on the weather, either laps or thunders along the shore.

There is little sign the coastline was the scene of the country's worst environmental disaster.

But the Bay got a nasty reminder of the wreck's legacy when debris and oil again washed up on the beaches when the ship's stern changed position on the reef. The regional council says in total 35kg of oil and debris washed up after the tropical storm.

The revelation came after Mount Maunganui Main Beach was voted one of the top four beaches in the South Pacific, and as activists launched a petition calling for Rena's removal.

Others say the Rena should be left to become a diving attraction. I used to agree. I liked the idea of the region taking at least one positive from this disaster but my view has since changed.

Any faith I had in the owners and insurers of the Rena eroded after Mayor Stuart Crosby spoke out about the city council being excluded from negotiations and discussions about the Rena and was not getting enough information.

This was a slap in the face, in my view, for those most affected by the disaster, the people who live here.

The paltry sentences handed down to Rena captain Mauro Balomaga and navigation officer Leonil Relon, who served half of their seven-month jail sentences on a range of charges, including perverting the course of justice, also rankled. As did the news their employer, the Daina Shipping Company, had held their jobs open.

This was their chastisement for causing New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster.

In the days after these two men managed to slam the 37,000-tonne cargo ship into the reef, the Bay's coastline was soiled by 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, debris and more than 1000 dead birds.

The punishment did not match the crime.

We have since learned that while a government order issued to Rena's owners to remove it remains, they are seeking resource consent to leave it where it is.

We are told the environmental consequences of the wreck and subsequent oil spill have had minimal lasting effect - except for heightened levels of contaminants at Astrolabe Reef and near Motiti Island. We should temper this with the knowledge that this massive ship, part of its cargo and other materials still remain.

The debris and oil that washed up last week was a reminder of why we should be calling for the wreck to be removed, regardless of cost and logistics.

Some believe the full removal is unrealistic and that it could cost more than the removal of Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, in January 2012 and cost 650 million to remove.

I don't care how much it costs Rena's owners and insurers to remove the wreck. They need to clean up their mess and rid our coastline of this menacing, uninvited guest.