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March 9, 2005
Day Four & Five: People Poisoned Daily in Wanganui
Day Four: People Poisoned Daily in Wanganui
Today we travelled south. We continued travelling south from Taranaki for another public hui (meeting) in the river city of Wanganui.
In the early afternoon we arrived at our motel and finally had a bit of a rest, catching some much needed moe (sleep) or reading the paper in the sun. A couple of hours later we were off again to set up the hui at the War Memorial Hall.
After a bit of a panic to set up projectors, amps and cameras (and a few tunes on the piano) the local wahine (women) arrived with biccies and sandwiches to go with the tea. Then as Kiri was setting up her elaborate info table display, the call came to change rooms. So there was a mad panic to relocate to next door and retape banners to walls and so forth. Finally the gear was ready, the speakers were ready, the public were seated and the hui begun on time.
Every hui so far on this tour has been unique. In Wanganui we were honoured to hear the stories of many people in the audience, in addition to those of local Vietnam Vets, the ever eloquent SWAP tane (men), science guru Gordon Jackman and Greenpeace toxics campaigner Mere Takoko.
One young man from the audience, the son of one of the Vets, told us of his inability to hold down a steady job due to chronic illness. Amongst other effects he had lost several teeth due to dioxin poisoning, and tragically now his young daughters teeth have all fallen out. That is the real tragedy of dioxin poisoning, it doesnt stop. Once it gets into the genetic make-up of a person it then gets handed down from generation to generation, getting worse every time. Just as it does in the food chain, going from soil to plants to accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and people.
A radiographer from SNIFTERS told how many health workers are also affected by chemical poisoning, and by Government and corporate refusal to acknowledge their issues or take responsibility. Another woman from the audience spoke of how the medical profession refused to take her health complaints seriously, and instead institutionalised her. She later closed the hui with a passionate prayer for justice and the fall of the corporate pharmaceutical empire.
There was a real buzz of unity and solidarity in the room that night, as people who had been fighting government agencies and corporations realised that their struggle is intrinsically linked with that of many others. We hope to see this movement for justice for poisoned people (and the poisoned earth) grow and spread throughout the whole of our contaminated country.
So, after a few chocolate biccies and some dish washing we headed back to the motel for some kai (food) kindly cooked up by the SWAP tane. Then it was off to sleep and another early morning debrief.
- Jen
Day 5: On the Road Again
The hui the night before had been inspiring and educational but still many of us had questions about what dioxins really were. Gordon explained in length how PCPs were created essentially by splitting salt into its sodium (used to make caustic soda for soaps) and chlorine components. The chlorine is used to make 245-T and 24-D particles by attaching to other molecules. These dioxins are now able to attack and manipulate other molecules and every cell of livings thing on this planet. The disturbing thing is that because of this, every reaction to dioxin poisoning is different yet deadly and when it comes to recognising symptoms and finding cures it is almost impossible.
Gordon brought up the fact that we all need to take responsibility for the situation were in. Every time we buy things as seemingly mundane as PVC guttering, treated wood and bleached paper we vote with our money and support the continued production of dioxins. To prevent highly toxic dioxin emissions occurring in house fires, rubbish fires and landfills, imports of PVC need to be banned.
Jen reckons that once we become aware of dioxins deadly affects, we must take on the responsibility of sharing our newfound knowledge. Together we can actively work towards finding and implementing solutions.
Another strong point Gordon made was the need for really radical change to get rid of our current education systems and deconstruct the entire society that we live in. The doco Emily is working on has been looking at this issue all over the world and noticing a large rise in people taking up the call. There is a realisation growing that we need to reclaim control of our communities and the care of our land without submitting to the whims of governments and large corporations.
Shareholders need to be made liable for the actions of companies they invest in. Currently those who profit from the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the land, the air, the water and the people are not held responsible for the mess they make. Politicians and bureaucrats are biding their time, waiting for people to die and hoping that the dioxin issue will disappear. They dont want people to know that NZ is 2nd only in widespread dioxin contamination to Vietnam. We need to share our stories, our strategies, our failures and our successes, so that together we can heal the poisoned people, clean up the environment and prevent this from happening ever again.
Jenny Bell
Emily Bailey
*********************
Jen and Em have been journeying with the crew, photographing and videoing the tour. Jen is organising a photographic exhibition and a booklet to educate people about the presence of dioxins in Aotearoa. Em is filming the tour to help with media coverage and a possible documentary on the issue of dioxins. The footage will also be part of a global grassroots documentary called Kotahi te Ao (www.kotahiao.org) due out at the end of this year. The film documents similar stories from around the globe but with a focus on solutions.
Posted by nick at 3:25 PM
March 7, 2005
Day 3: New Plymouth People Poisoned Daily
After the Rotorua meeting the tour group split, most stayed on in Rotorua, but several of us journeyed through the night to arrive in New Plymouth at 2am to prepare for the following days March Against Dow.
The day of the march we awoke to grey skies and drizzle, but by the time of the march the skies had cleared and the sun shone down on the 150 people whod come to be part of the march to the gates of DOW in Paritutu.
A powerful karakia was given by a local kaumatua Huirangi Waikerepu who talked about the importance of the land, air and water to us all. Speakers talked on varying subjects with the reccurring link being dioxin poisoning. Andrew Gibbs, a local campaigner who has worked on the dioxin issues for over a decade, Joe Harawira from Sawmill workers against poisons, Gordon Jackman a scientist who has campaigned on this issue for over 20 years and Mere Takoko toxics campaigner from Greenpeace.
The march moved off, at the front a lone bagpipe player, aged 13 years, led the way. The mix of people on the march was awe inspiring. Although only a small number of the people were present, they had so much passion for the issue. Residents of all ages, Vietnam Vets, Sawmill workers from Whakatane, activists from Wellington and Auckland turned out to protest. People marched and chanted slogans like DOW, DOW clean up now as we wound our way up towards the DOW chemical plant. Elderly residents and Vietnam vets who were too ill to walk, followed the march in vehicles.
Several hundred metres from DOW's gates the elderly and ill people in the vehicles reunited with the rest of the march. They stood and sat in their wheelchairs up the front of the march with local residents and their children who were holding the DOW Poisoning People Daily banner. The march slowly progressed to the gates where we , stopped to hear Ian McLeod, a local Vietnam vet, talk about their families plight after being doused with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Then Ray Kennedy an elderly local resident whose whole family has been affected by DOWs chemicals was wheeled over to the front gates. Ray Kennedy was the first local resident to start challenging DOW publicly many years ago...
At the DOW gates Whakatane kaumatua Hemi Wirihana of SWAP said a karakia, and Ray laid a wreath at the foot of this chemical giant in memory of the many peoples lives torn asunder. Ray then stood to speak and I, like many, was overcome with emotion as he talked about losing not only his wife to cancer but also his children.
Time stood still. People were silent. There was no need to call for one minutes silence as we all stood united in our sympathy and anger at the unfairness of a world where governments let these companies come into our midst and poison us and our environment.
Then a haunting waiata was sung. People stayed together to talk for a while and then the crowd dispersed.
I was honoured to be there for the day. Although it is a sad issue, it was a powerful message to DOW and the government that people are
uniting to stand up and state their right for health care for themselves and future generations, and demanding recognition for suffering inflicted by these corporates.
As I left Taranaki today to continue our journey onto Wanganui the clouds parted to reveal Mt Taranaki in all its glory, for me just another sign that this tour is truly blessed.
Suzette
Background:
DOW agrosciences (formerly Ivon Watkins DOW) has been a focus of many of the groups who have come together for the Peoples Poisoned Daily tour. During the 1940s to 1986 DOW produced the chemicals 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D which were heavily contaminated by cancer causing dioxins. These two chemicals were sprayed extensively throughout Aotearoa and subsequently poisoned our foodchain through the animals that feed on the contaminated land. It also poisoned our waterways and kai moana that we eat.
DOWs chemicals - 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D when combined produce Agent Orange the deadly defoliant that was sprayed during the Vietnam War to clear the foliage and forest. But the planes spraying Vietnam also doused the Vietnamese people and the soldiers stationed there including many New Zealand soldiers, and left a toxic legacy on the land.
Not only that but the residents who live near the plant in Paritutu have levels of Dioxins as high as the people of South Vietnam, they have had to live with this polluting company in their midst since the 1960s.
Posted by activist at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)
DAY 2: People Poisoned in Rotorua
Day Two of the tour we held a meeting at Te Ao Marama Hall beside Lake Rotorua. Lake Rotorua is a sadly contaminated lake as at result of the PCP leachate from the Waipa Sawmill. About 40 people attended the meeting which was addressed by speakers from SWAP (Joe Harawira), Ngati Tuwharetoa (Tomairangi Fpx and Colleeen Skerrit), Greenpeace (Mere Takoko) and Vietnam Vets (Kingi Taurua) . NZ First MP Bill Gudgeon who supports the Vietnam Vets also spoke. The audience included sawmill workers, Vietnam veterans and their families. Their stories were all powerful and I felt like crying yet again when two men stood up to show us their black and swollen legs poisoned by exposure of dioxin contaminated PCP at the sawmills. The presentation from Ngati Tuwharetoa about their contaminated whenua at Kawerau was news to many people present who learnt about the true cost of many of our paper products..
Since 1952 the Tasman Pulp and Paper Mill has been dumping toxic waste onto the land belonging to the Fox whanau at Kawerau, covering their urupa and waahi tapu with a wide range of chemical including dioxin. The Fox whanau and tangata whernua lawyers have been fighting the mill owners. They are also fighting the Government who originally bank-rolled the whole mill development. It is a huge struggle to attempt a clean up this once fabulous area of hot springs and sacred sites. It will cost billions to clean up properly but with the company lease expiring in 2013 the last thing the whanau need is to have their land returned as a vast toxic waste dump. Greenpeace has been involved with this issue and with the fight for the Tarawera River since the 1980's when Gordon Jackman began working with the Fox whanau.
Gordon Jackman also spoke at Rotorua and expressed his frustration that the dioxin lies and denials continue. After two and a half hours we were all exhausted because it's not a pretty picture but the stories need to be told and the coalitions built to fight for justice.
We went back to the motel to eat vegan sausage boil up and deconstruct the patriarchy before the 5am start to Day Three - The Paritutu mission.
- Catherine Delahunty
On tour with People Poisoned Daily
Posted by activist at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
March 5, 2005
People Poisoned Daily - A road trip
DAY 1. Whakatane: the journey for environmental justice begins
After months of preparation, the people poisoned daily tour kicked off last night at Pupuaruhe Marae in Whakatane. Among the 100 people attending the event was Maori Party leader Tariana Turia. Led by a flittering tiwaiwaka (fantail), visitors entered the Marae which ironically is one of the ten most contaminated sites in Whakatane.
Posted by nick at 8:40 PM
March 4, 2005
Related News: Genesis puts plans for 2 coal fired power plants on ice
The State-owned power company Genesis Energy has announced it is putting plans for two new 400 megawatt coal fired power stations in the North Island on ice 'until it secures coal supplies'. It really is the beginning of the end for coal in New Zealand read more here
Posted by nick at 10:13 AM