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Motiti Island, located off the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand's North Island, is home to a small Iwi that have called the island home for generations. Located 21 kilometres north-east of Tauranga, the community of 30 odd full time inhabitants have lived a full self sufficient sustainable lifestlyle until the Rena ran aground Astrolabe Reef early in October.
Since the ship ran aground, the Iwi have been working extremely hard and tirelessly trying to clean up literally "their backyard" and with little help from the greater community or support functions that are active on the mainland. Saturday October 22 this all changed as a small group were invited to come to the aid of the Iwi and support them in their efforts.
We were welcomed on the marae with an incredibily moving powhiri, and greeted the kaumatua before sitting down to a beautiful morning tea and scones. We were briefed on the situation at hand, got a bit of history from the previous two weeks, and then geared up and headed to various parts of the coast which needed the most aid.
The coastline is in pretty bad shape with a lot of thick, tar like oil surrounding tennis ball sized rocks, and a few sandy beaches. The wildlife and kai moana has taken a massive hit, and displaced the food the Iwi have survived on for generations. Containers dot the coast and the contents of these scatter the beaches, including deer skins, butter, and worst of all a container load of plastics heading offshore for recycling.
The day on Motiti was one of the most humbling and rewarding days of cleanups due to the Rena disaster, and although encouraged by the support we were all passing around, it is still a very sobering experience to see the effects of what has happened, and how instantly the livelihoods of people can be completely tipped upside down.
Photo Creds: Joe "GlobJewel" Downling www.shutterpirates.co.nz
Toby Robertson a.k.a the Ginger Ninja, Taupo Todd, The Octopus
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