Te Puna resident Tommy Kapai is concerned about the ill effects of Hicane defoliation spray drift on rural residents.
According to the Clean Area Act, orchardists are required to notify neighbours at least 24-hours prior to spraying.
Tommy Kapai believes residents of Te Puna are being poisoned.
Tommy says this is not happening.
'I got a call on a Wednesday night saying they were going to spray Thursday and Friday. So we got the washing off the line, kept the kids inside at the Kohunga, then they didn't spray.”
Tommy is so concerned about the spraying that two years ago he set up some awareness initiatives.
'We put out yellow road cones so people knew to keep their windows closed. We distributed yellow plastic bags orchardists could put over their mail box so people knew to keep clear of the farm and keep their windows wound up,” says Tommy.
'I know a lot of the rural delivery people well and I asked them if they'd seen any yellow bags and they said no one had put out a yellow bag on their box.”
'I guess I'm just an old hippy but my big beef with this is why we are poisoning the land. Why would you want to poison the land? They use Hicane like Agent Orange was used in Vietnam. It is a defoliant that strips the fines of growth to cheat nature into an early bud.”
'We should be the organic capital of the world.”
'I've been fighting this for 14-years. They call me the sheriff of Hicane.”
Tommy says the chemical burns all the vines and has never been tested or researched for effects on human health.
'There's an 80 per cent increase in respiratory problems in Te Puna in August and September which is the Hicane spray season.
'The other thing is when I first started they were spraying once a year. Now with PSA they're spraying once a month. Not just Hicane but other chemicals too. Some people believe PSA is just like cancer from the land being poisoned. It's so short-sighted. Our kids will pay the price of this greed. And that's all it is. It's just greed.”
Tommy says the spray drift just sits there like a fog. You can't really escape it.
'It's the old people and kids that are affected mostly. It doesn't just go away.
'It's like smoking. It is passive poisoning. Who are we to be poisoning this beautiful place? Cancer illnesses and respiratory problems are just one side effect of the spraying but until I can come up with the science to prove all of this I'm up against a billion dollar industry who will never voluntarily test the sprays for ill effect.”
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated chief executive Mike Chapman says there is no danger to people from overspray on Hicane.
'Minimum best practice guidelines require orchardists to notify any neighbour within 50-metres at least 12-hours prior to application,” says Mike.
'There is no danger to people whatsoever. According to an ERMA report prepared a couple of years ago, Hicane is not harmful to humans at all. You do have to wear protective clothing as direct contact will cause a condition which turns your skin bright red causing mild irritation.
'In some European countries they give Hicane to alcoholics to help them stop drinking.”
The Best Practice leaflet provided by NZKGI encourages any community members to report operators who fail to conform to industry best practice.
Best practice guidelines promote prominently displayed signs to let people know spraying is being carried out. Signs are to be put out no less than 24-hours before spraying.
'We encourage members of the public to lodge any spray complaints by calling the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on 0800 884 883 or the NZ Kiwifruit Growers (NZKGI) hotline on 0800 232 505. Complaints will be investigated and may result in an infringement fine or prosecution,” says Mike.
Tommy plans to run some workshops and let people know what their rights are. Anyone interested in contacting Tommy can call him direct on 07 552 6661.
12 comments
Hi-Cane = Greed
Posted on 02-08-2012 08:37 | By lurking
Zespri promotes its organic growers like the whale meat eaters in Japan promote Sea Sheppard...Organic kiwifruit makes Zespris Green product grown "sustainably" look dirty so they do not even give it an advertising budget..And by law only they can export and sell it.They claim it is an essential spray but it is purely for increasing the crop load.
Fertiliser...???
Posted on 02-08-2012 08:47 | By lurking
under Zespris own rules no chemical can be sprayed on fruit without justification for it.As no pest exists they classify it as a fertiliser....ya gotta laugth eh..( Crying)
Good on you Tommy
Posted on 02-08-2012 09:07 | By budgettga
I live in Te Puna and I know it's been a problem for years. Another part to the problem is unless you are an immediate neighbour you don't get told. There are plenty of residential areas in the area and you can't tell me that spray dispersed onto an orchard only strays to the next property. We are surrounded by avocado orchards that use helicopters to spray as well as the kiwifruit orchardist who spray with landbased vehicles. It's about time something more was done to inform every resident in the area, not just neighbours. It appalling that Mike comments to say that there is no danger to people from overspray on Hicane. So he'd be more than happy then for a contractor to come into an orchard two doors from his place and spray while he's enjoying some time in the garden. I'd like to see you have a decent drink of the stuff Mike if you think its that safe. I remember when roundup was first promoted and we were told it was safe to drink. Now we know that was all propaganda by Monsanto.
Ho hum. Here we go again
Posted on 02-08-2012 10:58 | By Bopsta
Tommy and co do more harm to the publics health bleating on about the unproven dangers of Hicane than the product ever will. Raising peoples anxiety and stress levels at this time of year when we are already warn down with the winter blues is more detrimental to our health than whats happening over the shelter belt, and theres plenty of medical science to back that up. Give it a rest Tommy we are all tired of the cracked vinyl.
14GK
Posted on 02-08-2012 16:16 | By 14GK
Oh come on Bopsta.... Tommy, I admire your perseverance on this issue. It's well known that spray drift can have harmful effects. Most of us living in the city are not exposed to it but I support those that live nearby to orchards in the rural suburbs - a warning phone call doesn't always reach those likely to be affected by drift. Our local & regional councils need to pay close attention to the risks.
.
Posted on 02-08-2012 16:17 | By whatsinaname
i had this problem I live in pyes pa. No notification because i was not on the boundary. I asthmatic and new when the orchards were being sprayed. i rang the numbers mentioned and got told we will talk to the contractor. Give me your name and number and he will contact you....... Three years later still havent been called . what does that tell you.....
Lifestyle Blocks
Posted on 02-08-2012 16:38 | By pomarie
Kiaora Tommy, with you all the way with the effects of high-cane, copper or any spray and chemically blended ferts. Cant see the friggen point. Every dame thing is fumigated on ships anyway. Why dont we partition for lifestyle blocks in Te-Puna, it would reduce the profit margins and make kiwifruit a liability to those growers.
kapa
Posted on 02-08-2012 17:39 | By kapa
Good on you Tommy, the people calling New Zealand clean and green are liars. Hicane does cause Cancer, we witnessed it first hand when we lived in Kerikeri, the spray drift went all the way to Russell, and 3 people at one time had brain tumors. As you say, people just want to make money, and to hell with the consequences. It's not just for skin conditions that they suit up to spray!! You are so right, they now spray more because of PSA, I think it's called Serenade Max. Why do greedy people think it's okay to kill off others. There have been no valid testing done over time, they are too scared to.
Hicaned
Posted on 02-08-2012 19:00 | By Hicaned
For many years a number of concerned citizens who live in the spray drift zone of poisonous agri chemicals have considered their options to protect their whanau and family from the health risks that agri chemical spray drift creates. Some of us have worked with the industry to promote safe practice and make sure notification occurs 24 hours before spraying commences. Others have a more protest approach and have aired their concerns saying they will be monitoring very closely the upcoming 8 week HiCane season that started today. They say they will look at following the lead of post harvest operator Seeka who are considering taking a class action on behalf of growers over the arrival of the vine killing disease Psa-V in New Zealand. Seeka chief executive Michael Franks is calling for a fund to look at legal action against the supposed importers of a pollen that they believe may have caused PSA. Spray action awareness groups could learn from this action and apply the same reasoning when it comes to the cause of health issues caused by poisonous agri chemicals. Perhaps Mr Franks should put resources into making sure he has his own back yard in order when it comes to protecting the public as indeed should Zespri who have dropped the ball recently when it comes to making sure their growers comply with notification as required by the clean air act. This is an act that is up for review and will receive a robust scrutiny from concerned citizens about the health effects of agri chemicals.
Posted on 02-08-2012 21:52 | By monty111
Minimum best practice guidelines are all very well if these farmers/orchardists comply with them but in my many years of living in Te Puna amidst orchards I never ever got advance warning of spraying by them! They are unfortunately very much a law unto themselves, regardless of anyone's health!
Kiwifruit sprays
Posted on 25-08-2012 08:28 | By surfgirl_4573
I work at a kindergarten across the road from an orchard and I have had severe asthma following spraying. I noticed a pattern and my doctor agrees. We are not always advised but now I can smell the sprays and feel burning on my skin (mostly) face. Other staff have also noticed this and had similar skin reactions. We keep the children indoors if we know they are spraying but we are also not always advised.
Hicane
Posted on 13-04-2016 07:49 | By Colin Middleton
I was riding my mountain bike on Matahui Road Katikati in Feb2016 and was sprayed and since then i have had skin rashes round the eyes and middle region and headaches etc all the symptoms mentioned on www.treecops.org.nz website on hicane suggest you check them out the only thing that has worked is harkers herbals Detox support be cautious and wary of theses sprays Colin
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