Oil spill clean-up from Kaiapoi factory fire a success, but locals urged to remain cautious
From reporter Amber Allott:
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The hard yards are almost over for clean-up crews after a North Canterbury factory fire caused thousands of litres of oil to gush into local waterways.
But it’s bad news for oil-soaked wildlife, with only four of 20 rescued ducks surviving, and locals wanting to go for a summer paddle are still urged to be cautious.
Australasia’s largest drill bit manufacturer, Sutton Tool NZ, suffered catastrophic damage to its Kaiapoi manufacturing facility after fire engulfed the building in the early hours of January 30, leading to the evacuation of about 40 homes because of the risk of toxic fumes.
Thousands of litres of quenching fluid – an oil used for rapidly cooling steel – also caused an environmental headache in the fire's aftermath, after it entered the nearby Cam River, which feeds first into the Kaiapoi River, then the Waimakariri.
After more than a week working at the site, regional council Environment Canterbury (ECan) is now wrapping up its clean-up operation.
On-scene commander Emma Parr said workers had removed nearly 3000 litres of oil from the waterways, using a mix of absorbent booms and sucker trucks.
A small amount of oil remains in the affected rivers, she said, and would be noticeable in the Cam River, and the Kaiapoi River upstream from the Williams St bridge, for the next few weeks.
“The oil clings to the vegetation and muddy banks and oil can remobilise with tidal changes, showing as a sheen on the surface of the water.
“Although the past few days of monitoring assessments have been positive, we continue to ask people to stay away from oiled areas, for the safety of you and your pets.”
Two riverside spots would need further remediation work after the spill, Parr said, and the team would take a stone-by-stone approach.
“Work to scrape and replace oiled stones and debris is needed at the Kaiapoi River rowing club boat ramp and the public boat ramp by the swing bridge. This work will be completed this week.”
But it was bad news for oil-soaked ducks which had been rescued and sent to recuperate, Parr said.
“Sadly, only four New Zealand scaup have survived out of the 20 that were captured and taken to the South Island Wildlife Hospital. The remaining four are doing well.”
The surviving ducks will need intensive care in the coming weeks to wash and waterproof their feathers.
A condition called wet feather can occur when a duck’s feathers become waterlogged, due to contamination with oil, detergents, lice or sooty black mould, causing them to lose their ability to repel water.
Parr said there had been no other sightings of oiled birds in the past few days, but anyone who spots one, or sees oil in local waterways, was asked to call ECan’s incident response team on 0800 765 588.
Locals can also use the Snap Send Solve App to provide specific details of the location.
Poll: How do you feel about dogs being allowed indoors in cafes?
For most of us, seeing a friendly doggo while out and about instantly brings a smile to our faces. But how do you feel about cafes welcoming pups inside?
Cast a vote and share your thoughts below.
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27.5% I love it!
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32.2% Only in designated areas
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40.3% No, it should be outdoors only.
Growing demand for Rangiora’s Christian schools
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Two North Canterbury Christian schools are seeking permission to grow their student rolls.
The Ministry of Education is seeking feedback on requests from eight Canterbury state integrated schools to increase their maximum rolls, including two in Rangiora.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Rangiora wants to increase its roll from 175 to 225 students, while Rangiora New Life School (pictured) is looking to increase its maximum roll of 470 by an additional 100 secondary students to 570.
Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said demand for Christian education in the region is strong.
‘‘I think it is exciting for all of those schools listed.
‘‘It will be phased in over a number of years and it will likely be mostly from home school families.’’
As the school took students from throughout the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts, he said he did not expect it to have a major impact on local state schools.
The school has 230 year 9 to 13 students, so an extra 100 students will represent significant growth.
Walters said about 30 extra students could be absorbed within its existing buildings and the five hectare site has plenty of room for expansion.
As it was too late to plan for next year, he anticipated gradual roll growth to begin from 2026.
‘‘We want to be a low density site, so when we reach 650 we would look for another site.’’
State integrated schools have less ‘‘bureaucratic hurdles" because they don't spend Government money on buildings, he said.
‘‘We build a classroom and then collect the fees from parents to pay for them over 20 or 30 years.’’
North Canterbury’s booming population means local state schools are all growing, with Rangiora High School reaching 1750 students this year and Kaiapoi High School fast approaching its site capacity of 1100.
‘‘Oxford Area School used to be same size as us, but it has overtaken us with its growth.’’
St Joseph’s School principal Ben Gorman said there was strong demand for a Catholic education.
‘‘We've had significant roll pressure for the last six to seven years.
‘‘Currently, we have over 50 applications for enrolment for next year, but only have 20 spaces available (with departing year 8 students).’’
Gorman said if the maximum roll increase is approved, it will be phased in between from 2026 to 2030, with two classrooms built.
St Joseph’s School board of trustees chairperson Emma Dangerfield said North Canterbury’s growing population is likely to lead to more enrolments.
‘‘We want to see students enrolled in their preferred school option so ensuring we have more spaces available for these children is a no-brainer.’’
She said the increased roll would have little or no impact on other schools due to the rapid population growth.
Christchurch schools Aidenfield Christian School, Emmanuel Christian School, Middleton Grange School, St Mark’s School and Christchurch Adventist School have requested to increase their rolls.
St Bede’s College is looking to increase its day student roll and reduce its roll for borders, while keeping its maximum roll at 786.
The Ministry of Education is seeking feedback until September 27.
State and state-integrated schools and kura have a school board that governs it and makes decisions on the school's strategic direction.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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