The Kopeopeo Canal runs from the Rangitāiki Plains, west of State Highway 30, eastward to join the Orini Stream before discharging into the Whakatāne River.
Between the 1950s and late 1980s, the canal became contaminated by stormwater discharges from a former sawmill that used Pentachlorophenol (PCP) in timber treatment.
While unknown at the time, PCP imported into New Zealand contained small amounts of dioxins – highly toxic compounds that can persist in the environment.
Community leadership, particularly from the late Joe Harawira, Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP), and Ngāti Awa, brought national attention to the contamination’s impacts on both people and the environment.
Together, they sought to restore mauri (life force) to the Kopeopeo Canal and surrounding waterways, helping Papatūānuku (the Earth) to heal.
Since 2015, Bay of Plenty Regional Council has worked alongside a community liaison group – guided by the leadership and support of Ngāti Awa – to deliver the vision:
“To safely remove and treat a legacy of industrial dioxin pollution, thereby restoring the mauri of the Kopeopeo Canal and the Whakatāne River, and developing their full potential to contribute to the well-being of tāngata whenua, the community and visitors for generations to come.”
The remediation involved removing, safely storing, and bioremediating approximately 40,000 m³ of contaminated sediment at two secure containment sites.
Bioremediation uses natural processes involving fungi, bacteria, and plants to break down and neutralise contaminants over time.
The project has successfully reduced contamination to safe levels, and the canal is now suitable for a range of recreational activities such as kayaking, boating, and bird watching.
Although remediation is complete, the work continues through regular monitoring.
Both the containment sites and canal are checked to ensure they continue to meet all resource consent conditions and environmental standards.
The latest monitoring report is publicly available below:
Kopeopeo Canal Validation Report
Te Oho mo Papatuanuku March 2025 dioxin sampling report_27 June 2025
Bioremediation site management plans
For further information about the Kopeopeo Canal Remediation Project or its ongoing monitoring programme, please contact:
