Friday, 14 May 2021, 9:18 am
A major jetboat crash, cancer and cancellations due to
COVID-19 haven’t stopped 39-year-old Hawke’s Bay local
Cameron Burton from lining up at this weekend’s New
Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty Hawke’s Bay
Marathon.
After a jetboat crash in 2006, Cameron was
told he would never run again. Despite this life-changing
news, he worked hard on his recovery and later competed in
two Coast to Coasts. Then there was another challenge –
Cameron was diagnosed with Stage 2b Testicular Cancer,
requiring three months of intensive chemotherapy.
Not
one to let obstacles stop him, Cameron continues to focus on
Some images are seared into your memory.
For Napier City Council’s Cameron Burton, his confronting moment happened on February 5 while responding to a hydrochloric acid spill into the stormwater system and the nationally significant wildlife refuge Te Whanganui-a-Orotū/Ahuriri Estuary. (The estuary was formed by the 1931 earthquake, when uplift of between one and two metres exposed about 1300ha of the Ahuriri Lagoon.)
Burton, the environmental solutions manager, trudged from an industrial area, where the spill occurred, to a natural drain along the estuary’s mudflats, taking water samples - showing acid levels “of concern” - and coordinating sucker trucks, which ended up extracting 40,000 litres of acid-contaminated water.
Napier people fear waterways in the city could be at a point of no return if nothing is done to stop their destruction.
The Ahuriri Estuary, or Te-Whanganui-a-Orotū, lies on the edge of Napier around its seaside.
Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Investigations have found there is 400 times the safe guidelines for some nutrients in the water, potentially leading to algae bloom which could cause serious degradation.
After dozens of spills in the water recently, including one of almost 1000 litres of hydrochloric acid, people are demanding change.
The Ahuriri Estuary (Te-Whanganui-a-Orotū) sits on the edge of Napier and is the largest estuary between Wellington and Bay of Plenty.
Fear spills and contamination could lead to no return for Napier waterways msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.