Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

The Rena debris on the Astrolabe Reef is a huge problem for us all.

The reality is that to remove it completely is likely to be at such a cost to the salvers that the owners and insurers are likely to walk away – no matter what the community wants. Having already spent around $275m on this salvage operation, the costs just continue to rise. There really is no easy answer.

Debris recovered from the Rena, including entangled wire.

To make the site safe will likely require the hull to be blown open with explosives, and the environmentalists will throw their arms in horror. The risk for us all is that unless we agree to this, the salvers are likely to walk away, with litigation being extremely expensive and over a very long time-frame. The salvers tell me that while using explosives will kill some fish life, the dead fish will ensure a feeding frenzy for other fish, and won't be detrimental longer term. They say that it will be just too dangerous to leave the site as it currently is, and yet it is becoming prohibitively costly to undertake a total removal. Nothing is easy here.

The bright prospect for our recreational divers is that there is likely to remain a treasure trove of trophies left if the wreck isn't removed. Eight hundred tonnes of aluminium ingots were lost in this tragedy, and at approximately $80 an ingot this would definitely entice a frenzy of divers to recover whatever is left. However, right now the dive site is incredibly dangerous, with tonnes of once coiled wire entangling the dive site.

We have to be pragmatic about any decision-making, and we also have to be careful not to let perceived culturalism hinder the process. This is going to be an extremely difficult decision, and is going to require some level headed decision making. If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me: andrew@vond.co.nz or visit www.vond.co.nz