Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum chairman Bill Myhill. Photo / Mead Norton
Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum chairman Bill Myhill. Photo / Mead Norton
Two controversial agrichemicals have been approved for temporary use on some Tauranga sports fields in spite of concerns they pose a health threat.
Tauranga City Council commissioners have approved granular Oxadiazon and Pendimethalin to be used temporarily this summer.
The areas would be closed off while the chemicals were in use, with chairwoman Anne Tolley warning: "If it's fenced off, don't let your children go in there."
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley. Photo / Mead Norton
Community members on a council advisory forum argued against the approvals, describing the chemicals as a "threat to human health", and one as "horrible, terrible, nasty".
The council says the chemicals are approved for use in New Zealand and are needed to help grow more drought-resilient grass turfs so fewer weeds take hold in increasingly dry summers, dying off and leaving large areas of bare ground for the busy winter sports season.
Oxadiazon, which is designed to kill weeds before they sprout (pre-emergent) in newly seeded grass, has been approved for use on Waipuna Park in Welcome Bay, Morland Fox Park in Greerton, and the Links Ave Reserve in Mount Maunganui.
Pendimethalin, a weed control agrichemical designed for maintenance, has been approved for Mount Maunganui's Blake Park and Tauranga Domain on Cameron Rd.
Both are classified as hazardous substances and approved for use in New Zealand with controls, according to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
At Monday's council meeting, three members of the Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum - Ian McLean, Peter Mora, and chairman Bill Myhill - argued against using the chemicals.
Waipuna Park. Photo / Mead Norton
McLean described oxadiazon as a "horrible, terrible, nasty chemical", saying: "you don't wanna use it".
In his view, the chemicals were the "cheapest and quickest option", not the best option. "These chemicals are a threat to human health."
He stated most literature supported that the chemicals were likely to be carcinogenic, and was concerned about "chronic exposure", which he said was more difficult to document and determine if there had been effects.
He believed the council's trial use of the product was "not a great success, nor a failure" and did not address human health implications.
Commissioner Stephen Selwood asked the forum what they made of New Zealand's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) endorsing the use of these chemicals.
Moreland Fox Park. Photo / Mead Norton
McLean said in the forum's view "the EPA has a low standard - it is not a standard that is high enough for the Tauranga community".
He said some EPAs around the world had approved the chemicals, but others had not.
Tolley said the council valued the forum's advice.
"These are chemicals that, as we've heard, where there is a variety of research, or in some cases a dearth of research."
As such, she said it's "really important" that decisions about their use are made in public.
"There are no easy answers."
Community services manager Barbara Dempsey said, "we don't want to do anything that compromises public health, I guess we are relying on EPA to provide that advice."
She said the council had a "responsibility to ensure we make our playgrounds, our turfs available as much as we can".
Links Ave Reserve. Photo / Talia Parker
Planning team leader Ross Hudson said the application of the chemicals would be in accordance with best practice.
He said staff were "strongly of the view that their [the chemicals'] use is integral to what we're trying to achieve" in the sports field network.
"More people can realise the health benefits associated with playing on those sports fields".
Tolley questioned how taking parts of the reserves out of play for four months, which was required to apply the chemicals, would increase access.
Hudson responded that "we need to take fields out of use of play to upgrade the fields" and compared it to closing roads and disruptions on Cameron Rd.
When Tolley asked what other options had been investigated apart from Oxadiazon, staff member Peter Mouldey said "anything that will kill off the weeds once they're established will kill off the grass".
"There is no practical solution other than using a pre-emergent."
The commissioners sought to add restrictions and monitoring to the process, which led to a 12 month review and reserve restrictions being proposed.
Selwood said he wanted information back in 12 months including on "effectiveness", "compliance with the process", "any information of any incidents of problems", and "compliance with signage".
Tolley addressed the media directly and asked them to "make it clear to people ... when there are signs up around an area ... that's because there are chemicals on it, and we don't want people taking the risk of some potential harm".
"The science is not absolute ... if it's fenced off, don't let your children go in there."
Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum chairman Bill Myhill. Photo / Mead Norton
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The forum's chairman Bill Myhill told the Bay of Plenty Times after the meeting that the decision was "not unexpected", but he was "not entirely satisfied".
He said the chemicals are "very good in their intended purpose", but, in his view, human health needed to be considered.
"If you take it purely as cost of maintenance of sports fields, they are very good and very economic…if you only count those costs, fine, but we are charged with considering human health.
"I don't envy the [commissioners] their position at all, because there are so many different and opposing factors they have to balance."
Tauranga Domain. Photo / George Novak
He said the council had imposed some restrictions by adding in the 12-month review and restricting use to specific reserves.
Myhill said the forum would continue to review new research on the chemicals.
"If there is anything really indisputable [that] comes up from research, then we'll certainly be going back in 12 months."
The council did not wish to respond to Myhill's post-meeting comments.
Hudson clarified after the meeting that "the affected reserves are Waipuna Park (middle platform), Moreland Fox Park (main field), Links Avenue Reserve (main field) and small junior fields".
"These areas that will be closed off, are only where new grass turf cover is being grown in. These areas will be fenced off to keep the public safe and to ensure the new turf will be well established in time for the winter sports season."
He said work was expected to start from November and be ready for the winter season starting on April 1.
"Council staff are working with regular users to accommodate their activities throughout this period."
