Recovery could take '50 years'

BY MICHAEL FORBES

Conservation land destroyed by fire at Tiwai on Friday last week could take half a century to recover, according to the Department of Conservation.

About 930 hectares of DOC land on a long spit east of Tiwai Point was wiped out by the scrub fire, which started about 4pm on Friday.

Department of Conservation Murihiku area manager Dave Taylor said the hostile nature of the area, which was frequently battered by wind, meant vegetation was slow to grow.

"It will probably take somewhere between 30 and 50 years to get back to where it was. It's going to be a very slow process," he said.

Matagouri, dry manuka, red tussock and green flax were the main vegetation destroyed by the blaze, Mr Taylor said.

The area was also home to lizards, skinks, fern birds and rare species of moth, which would have "taken a hammering", he said.

Southern Rural Fire District rural fire officer Sue Peterson said overnight rain on Sunday managed to allay any concerns over hotspots.

An investigator had spent time at the scene yesterday, she said.

The exact cause of the fire was still unknown but Mrs Peterson believed it would be established within a week.

The fire is still understood to have been accidentally started by a contractor spraying as part of restoration work.

A spokeswoman from the contracting firm whose employee was working in the area when the fire started said the worker was devastated over what had happened.

The worker was doing vegetation control work at the site for New Zealand Aluminium Smelters, she said.

There were indications about what happened but meetings would be held this week before they would be made clear, she said.

Contrary to previous reports the worker could be billed up to $200,000 for firefighting, the company was insured and he would not be liable, she said.

Mrs Peterson said her immediate focus would be tallying the cost of the fire during the next few weeks as receipts from those involved were submitted.

michael.forbes@stl.co.nz

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