Aucklanders turned out today to join Piha locals protesting oil drilling in the Tasman Sea. The Banners on the Beaches protest, organised by Greenpeace, with the support of the Waitakere Ranges Local Board, focussed on the Anadarko deep sea drilling, 100 nautical miles out to sea. See photos below.

Over 1000 turned out at Piha, with a highly imaginative range of banners and flags. Speakers were Greenpeace’s Steve Abel, Waitakere Ranges Local Board chair, Sandra Coney, and local MP Phil Twyford. A message from the protest ship Vega was read to the crowd. From the Vega to Oil Free Seas Supporters throughout New Zealand

A stirring haka was performed and a long barrier of people and banners formed along the beach, stretching from Pakiti Rock to Lion Rock.

Sandra raised the issue of near shore drilling with the Government currently looking at allocating much of the West Coast for exploratory drilling from 6 nautical miles offshore. This is well within the habitat of Maui’s dolphin and any spill would take a very short time to reach the shore, with devastating effects on the environment and recreation at the beaches.

Protests were spread all along the coast, with 700 at Raglan, 400 at Muriwai and 500 at Bethells Beach. See Bethells YouTube here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBewNo8JcX0&feature=youtu.be

Greenpeace has a flotilla of ships trying to hinder the oil giant’s exploratory oil drilling which at 1500 metres, is far deeper that anything seen before. Fears are that such deep sea drilling is highly risky and that oil spills would devastate the marine environment.

See TV One news item here.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/thousands-picket-against-deep-sea-oil-drilling-5723279