All beaches on the Waitematā Harbour have been deemed unsafe for swimming and fishing until Watercare can figure out exactly where contamination from a collapsed sewer line in Parnell is ending up. Photo:
Iwi and residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with Auckland city's failing infrastructure, as contamination from a burst sewer pipe closes inner-city beaches for 10 days.
Sewage has been spilling into the ocean after a main sewer line collapsed this week, causing massive sinkhole in the upmarket suburb of Parnell.
Watercare said it was trying to work out where exactly the contamination was ending up.
All beaches on the Waitematā Harbour have been deemed unsafe for swimming and fishing in the meantime.
Ngarimu Blair, from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust, said he was not impressed.
"It's a source of our identity, we say 'Ko Waitematā te moana' - the Waitematā is us," Blair said.
"So to see it suffering under the huge deluge of sewage right now is very saddening."
But Blair said watching hundreds of litres of raw sewage being dumped into Waitematā Harbour was nothing new.
"This is a bit of a reminder of what our grandparents, and great-grandparents, had to go through when the sewage was discharged in front of the village."
Nor was it new for any iwi, he said.
"Our story of suffering under poor infrastructure is not dissimilar to many tribes across the country.
"When you look at the history of the planning of our urban areas and cities, often you only have to find the end of the sewer pipe to find the nearest Māori village or marae."
Locals walking at St Helier's Bay on Thursday were also unimpressed,
They hoped the council would get its act together before the weather warmed up and people flocked to the beaches.
"Yeah, it's pretty sad; obviously people like to take their dogs and their kids. Even though it's raining, the sun is gonna come out," said one.
"[I'm] kind of worrying, obviously, going into spring and summer," said another, "hopefully it doesn't happen again."
Another man said he lived overseas for three decades and never came across another city with as many sewage issues.
"I don't understand, this issue has been going on for thirty years," he said.
"Every time we have a heavy rain, whether it's the sewer or not, we still have this issue. To close these kinds of beaches is unbelievable in a city like this," he said.
To add salt to the wound, the annual Iron Māori triathlon had been postponed.
Organiser Heather Te Au-Skipworth said more than 400 people were expected to attend on Saturday.
She said she was "pretty gutted" for those who had registered.
"There's been lots of work gone on to prepare for this event."
However, the decision was for the best, she said.
"For me, it's about precautionary measures and I'm all for that," Skipworth said.
"People's wellbeing is far more important than us being able to put on an event we can postpone and put on at a later date."
Northern region medical officer of health Jay Harrower said the sewage contained pathogens which could be harmful to animals and humans, while also accumulating in shellfish.
"There is a potential likelihood you can get infected if you have an open sore or an open wound if you come in contact with contaminated water," he said.
"You can also get infected through your eyes, ears and nose and, if swallowed, contaminated water can cause gastroenteritis."
Dr Harrower said the best advice was to keep children and pets away from the ocean for the meantime and not to collect shellfish for 28 days.
