Greens stand alongside Thames community

The Green Party will stand alongside the community of Thames after the discovery of a contaminated site at Moanataiari in Thames, Green Party toxics spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said today.

Ms Delahunty will be attending a public meeting in Thames this evening with Minister for the Environment Nick Smith and Thames-Coromandel Mayor and Councillors.

"The Green Party will stand alongside the community and do everything we can to help protect the health the people of Moanataiari," said Ms Delahunty.

"The Green Party is seriously concerned about the discovery of a contaminated site in the Moanataiari subdivision in Thames."

"We support further assessment and practical measures that will keep people safe while a remediation strategy is developed for the particular areas where arsenic has been found at high levels.

The discovery of the contaminated site came from work Ms Delahunty had been pursuing under the Green Party's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government to create a register of toxic sites.

Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said, "We're am committed to continuing the work we have done, with whoever the next Government is, to clean up contaminated sites in New Zealand.

"We will also be seeking to significantly increase the clean-up fund so that this site, and others like it around New Zealand, can be cleaned up.

"It is vital that we identify and remediate all contaminated sites in New Zealand. They put the health of our children and our environment at risk. New Zealand is a beautiful country and we need to look after it," Mrs Turei said.