Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12916] 
5.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Biosecurity 
: Since spraying began in January 2002 what is the total quantity of the formulated product Foray 48B that has been aerially sprayed over residential areas of Auckland in an effort to eradicate the painted apple moth? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Acting Minister for Biosecurity) 
: 
 The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says that 663000 litres of Foray 48B have been used in the painted apply moth eradication programme in Auckland. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Why is the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry continuing to bombard west Aucklanders even today with a commercial insecticide whose ingredients it refuses to identify when the assessment of the potential health impacts of the painted apple moth spray programme carried out by one of New Zealand’s leading health experts at the Wellington school of medicine calls into question the safety of the insecticide when it is inhaled? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: The report concerned cited a potential long-term health issue for people who were exposed to the spray for many hours a day over many years. This involves people with occupational exposure not the people of west Auckland. In fact only a small group of New Zealanders could be included in such a group and I do not think the member from the Green Party really wants to ban organic horticulture. More study is being done in this area so that any potential risks to organic market gardeners can be avoided. 
Lynne Pillay 
: Did the Wellington school of medicine report contain any surprises for the Government? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: No the report showed that a small proportion of the population had a reaction to the spray. This was expected and it was why a multi-million dollar health service was put in place in west Auckland. In the end fewer people than expected reported health issues. But given that today is hopefully the final aerial spray for west Auckland I want to thank on behalf of the Minister and myself the people of west Auckland for their perseverance while the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry did battle with the painted apple moth. 
Brent Catchpole 
: What other reports has the Minister had of any monitoring of the health effects of the people of west Auckland during the repeated spraying of Foray 48B since it began in January 2002; if none why not? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: I think a report was done not so much on the health of the people but an independent one put up by the Auckland District Health Board in 2002. It concluded that Foray 48B had never been implicated in any significant health effects on humans in 35 years of use. 
Larry Baldock 
: Has the Wellington school of medicine health study which was requested by United Future and David Cunliffe the New Lynn electorate MP been helpful in examining the affected west Auckland residents’ health concerns; if so what has been learnt and what changes will be made in future eradication campaigns? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: First of all it is my hope that with biosecurity continuing to do a reasonable job and with the increased amount of money put by this Government into biosecurity we will not be doing any further campaigns. But the report from the Wellington school of medicine did not recommend ending the spray programme and neither did the Occupational Safety and Health Service which has ruled the spray as safe for general use. As I said before this spray had a reaction from only a small proportion of the population. We will continue to monitor that and that was why we put in a multimillion dollar health programme to help that 2 percent. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Given the Minister’s comments on the report why did he seek to discredit and delay the publication of the report and now that the Ministry of Health is implementing the report’s recommendations will he retract his comments that the report and its recommendations were worthless and flawed; if not why not? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: My memory is that the Minister’s response was actually more to do with the reporting of the report. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Government assure the people of west Auckland that the nightmare is over for them and that the Government will carry out an independent inquiry into how the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry conducted the spray programme and into the health effects on residents before it ever embarks on any further aerial spraying of residential areas in Auckland or anywhere else in New Zealand? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: Just this afternoon or yesterday a paper was published about the arrival of the southern saltmarsh mosquito. The southern saltmarsh mosquito has been sprayed aerially by helicopters and on the ground in various locations throughout New Zealand. There is no way that the Minister for Biosecurity or the Associate Minister can ever guarantee that there will be no aerial spraying. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: What is the Minister doing to improve the quality of service provided by MAF Biosecurity given that it did nothing about the painted apple moth for 2½ years letting it get out of control then to make up for its inaction spraying the citizens of west Auckland with 663000 litres of a commercial insecticide using ingredients it refuses to identify? 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS 
: The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry worked particularly hard in those early years. It was attempting not to have to go to the expense of aerial spraying by trying to do things on the ground. I thinkthe Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry deserves absolute credit for doing something that has not been achieved in any other place in the world.