KEA joins KAKA in West Coast 1080 War

Karameans Advocating Kahurangi Action (KAKA) is delighted with the emergence of a similarly minded community group recently formed by Kumara residents – the Kumara Environmental Action Group (KEA).  KAKA believes this new committee will soon be joined by other groups along the Coast, resulting in a strong and effective network of residents concerned about the broad-scale, indiscriminate use of poison sodium monofluoroacetate (1080).

The Animal Health Board (AHB) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) are planning an aerial 1080-drop in the Kumara area, including areas immediately surrounding the township, in July.  Residents are justifiably concerned and anxious about the negative impacts of the poison programme on their environment–particularly the contamination of their water supply–and the local tourism industry.

KAKA Chair Cleveland McKay and committee member Mike Toseland travelled to Kumara on Sunday July 13, at the invitation of KEA, to participate in KEA’s public meeting.  At that meeting KEA members made a generous donation to the KAKA legal fund, which was set up to meet legal expenses incurred by KAKA's advocates, top Wellington law firm Chen Palmer.  KAKA will share all legal advice with the KEA committee

The KAKA representatives also took the opportunity to hold discussions with the KEA Committee.  As a result KAKA and KEA will be work together to prevent the indiscriminate use of 1080 on the West Coast.  KAKA will share information, legal advice and strategies with KEA to assist the group in its campaign against the activities of the AHB, the West Coast Regional Council (WCRC), DOC and pest-control contractor EPRO.

KAKA and KEA are also be prepared to assist the AHB, DOC and the WCRC to develop and implement alternatives that address the problem of possum control and bovine tuberculosis; ones acceptable to all stakeholders on the Coast. 

Both groups continue to seek the end to the aerial application of 1080 on the West Coast and seek genuinely Clean/Green 100%Pure pest-control solutions.

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