New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) leaders met locals yesterday evening to provide an update on their past, present, and future.
The meeting was held at Bill Richardson Transport World in Invercargill.
The future of the smelter beyond 2024 remains ambiguous, though NZAS chief executive and general manager Chris Blenkiron spoke largely on the company’s efforts to remediate the site regardless of the smelter’s future.
Rio Tinto aluminium closure readiness general manager Nicole Atherton, who has been working with NZAS for five years and in a closer capacity since the announced closure two years ago, said they were initially focused around closure but for the last 12 months they had been focused on remediation.
She said a big milestone for the company was emptying the last community store of toxic ouvea (a by-product) about a week ago, and that all ouvea was now in storage sheds on sight, and about 20% has been processed and exported.
The substance had previously been stored at five sites in Southland, causing much concern for residents in those areas and prompting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to call for Rio Tinto to "show some responsibility" over its failure to deal with hazardous waste.
Mr Blenkiron said Rio Tinto admitted its handling of ouvea was a misstep and the company accepted responsibility.
During a question session, a Bluff resident put to Mr Blenkiron that she would like to see 20% of Bluff residents get their hair sampled, "so that we’ve got peace of mind of toxic levels in people’s hair".
Mr Blenkiron said there were a number of air monitoring processes on site to keep a close eye on that regard.
"I do acknowledge the trust and confidence of people of Murihiku and Bluff and across the region. That’s really important and I respect that with ouvea we stubbed our toe on that."
