No confidence in the "No spray register" is justified

No confidence in the "No spray register" is the result of its impractical nature, and the way it is blatantly ignored whenever the contractor chooses. The "done in error, sorry" excuse is too often used to be real.

Two residents, both living on the same network of Rodney's roads, feel 'completely trapped' in their houses whenever spray contractors come into their area. One of them is only now recovering from being sprayed as long ago as when the local body elections were on. The other says, "I do feel that the frequency of spraying is over the top and as I've lived here for some 22 years it's clear to me that even very frequent spraying has little or no positive effect in achieving weed control."

This is supported by the visual evidence when his and other properties on the 'spray free register', are compared with those not on the register.

"When the mower comes through our road frontage sticks out like a jewel.." he says, "we have always felt that if the mower came through just once more during the year, in place of any spraying, then the whole area would be very much more aesthetically pleasing and as effectively managed ....and of course a damn site healthier.

"There are a lot of banks on the roadside here that are so constantly poisoned as to disallow anything to grow there at all. As a consequence we have continual erosion.

"Last year the 'Hydroseeder' finally came through and seeded the worst area of erosion ....and not long after the grass had grown and was obviously going a long way to supporting the banks ... hey presto Works came along and sprayed it....killing off about 30% of the new growth!!!!...…"

"It is this kind of ignorance -- 'including spraying my supposedly spray free road frontage on several occasions',  -- that demonstrated 'no real concern' by those doing the spraying," he said. "The frustration was sometimes quite overwhelming.....I just end up getting dangerously angry and -whew! - even now 'I feel my blood boil' at how we've been treated. Council contractors have been directly responsible for making me very ill on several occasions."

He reports that their 'efforts' caused him to spend December 9th 2002 in a hyperbaric chamber on oxygen -  at his own considerable expense, in order to clear the Roundup from his system.

He has never received any sort of apology from the RDC; only reassurances that they wouldn't do it again

He went on to tell of numerous unpleasant confrontations including an incident where the contractor, simply ignored his concerns, turned the sprayer back on and continued spraying, covering him in the poisonous chemicals. Some years ago the editor was similarly treated and was initially bedridden and ill for several weeks. It is now clear that these incidents constitute an assault which should have been reported to the police. 

Any spraying upwind of known chemically sensitive person is an assault both by the applicator and anyone authorising the action.

Our informant said, "This was a very clear indication that the contractors felt I was just some sort of 'greeny nutter'  getting in the way of their 'very important job'."

He felt the Contractors did not believe his concerns to be real while they considered their role in road maintenance to be of more importance than protecting the health of those who suffer as a result of toxics being released into the environment.

-- PER Managing Editor