Now a coastal permit is required from the Northern Regional Council, new laws and more stringent regulations have been introduced and, as a consequence, the costs of oyster farm investment have risen. And Andrew Thompson questions the methodology of policing practices to make sure farmers adhere to the codes.
"People in little white cars come down the driveway or they fly over the oyster beds in helicopters.
"They don't seem to think we are regulated enough and while I admit there are some small and messy farms, it would be nice to think the majority of us can regulate ourselves."
His farm, Kohekohe Oysters Limited, is situated in Oronga Bay on the Russell Peninsula. He grows Pacific oysters for the local and export market and sells to the public at the Kerikeri Farmers' Market on Sundays. Because of the tides and the fairly intensive labour requirements of oyster farming he doesn't get time to sell at the Paihia or other farmers' markets. Last year he opened Kororereka market shop in partnership with neighbouring farmers Alex and Gail Gifford to cater for the Rugby World Cup trade which he says was 'great'.
But, like all growers of the Pacific oyster, his business has been adversely affected by the pervasive herpes virus. It's non-toxic to humans but it knocks the spat oysters when they're about four months old to the extent he's lost around 80 per cent of his stock. The recent cold snap, though, has slowed the rate of loss and scientific research is continuing in an effort to combat the virus even if the money New Zealand has to spend in this area isn't quite as high as most farmers would like nor as much as Australia is investing.
"The hope is we get a family of oysters that can live through this thing, an oyster hardened to the virus, so we can get the industry going again."
And, as he says, oyster farmers aren't the only commercial gardeners beset by problems, citing kiwifruit's PSA and varroa mite in the bee industry as two examples. Through all this, however, his customers continue to appreciate that the oysters available here haven't been frozen, that they're fresh from the sea and merely rinsed in salt water. He supplies the famous Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell and 'thanks God' for the markets, A & P shows and wine and food festivals to keep his business ticking over.
Still, there are days when he wonders whether he should have listened to his mother's advice and become a dentist. Then he starts talking about oysters again and the notion disappears quicker than a slalom ski down the Turoa slopes he left behind years ago.
