Mahurangi Harbour water quality ruined; fix 'years away'

For almost 20 years, Matakana Oysters in north Auckland has sold fresh, delicious oysters, fresh from Mahurangi Harbour, from their iconic green shed. Today, the building on Leigh Road in Matakana is still open - but instead of selling fresh oysters, they have temporarily rebranded as Tom's Soup Shack, selling soup made from oysters that were harvested and frozen a few months ago. The reason? Raw sewage in the harbour that's caused norovirus contamination, which Matakana Oysters owner Tom Walters says is due to inadequate infrastructure by Auckland Council and Watercare.

Walters isn't alone, with other oyster farmers in the area saying their businesses won't survive the year, due to the dumping of untreated raw sewage into the harbour, restricting their ability to harvest. Tim Aitken bought Mahurangi Oysters in 2020, investing his life savings into the business to make it sustainable, but says it's likely he will have to stay closed for the rest of the year - if he can keep the company open that long.

"There's a few of us that are just very small oyster farmers. We're just 'ma and pa' guys, who sell at farmers markets or to wholesale operators," says Walters. "We've had many crises over the years, but none have compared to this."

The farmers are urging Watercare and Auckland Council to urgently invest in waste treatment solutions that are effective and sustainable, and Walters wants both bodies to halt the growth of the Warkworth area until it has an infrastructure that can support it.

"There shouldn't be growth until the bloody infrastructure is in place. You don't build backwards," he says. A temporary measure to reduce overflows will start in August 2025, but for now, all 10 oyster farmers in the area can only sit and wait - and hope.

Watercare chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera says the Auckland Council-controlled water services are developing a $450 million programme to transform wastewater services, including a new pipeline; however the pipeline isn't expected to be completed until 2028. "We sympathise with the Mahurangi Harbour oyster farmers and are committed to improving the situation for them," Perera told RNZ.

"Some of [the oyster farmers in Matakana] have been working 30-plus years doing what they love, caring for and supporting oysters in the harbour. But we're just trying to do our best and we're out of options," says Aitken. "We're only small farmers, but in Mahurangi itself, it's probably up to a million dollars a year of potential income and jobs."

Mahurangi Oysters has set up a petition; click here for more.