The missing story on Collins and the fuel pipe fiasco

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: - 64 comments
Categories: accountability, journalism - Tags: , ,

The rumours have been going round for a while – but this is an interesting development…

64 comments on “The missing story on Collins and the fuel pipe fiasco”

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  1. 1

    To be honest I try and stick to positive, future building stories, but this has an irresistible appeal.
    The lessons that could be learned if greed, cover-up and senior politicians have truth to them.

  3. 3

    Posted on RNZ website about half an hour ago:

    Images show digger to blame for rupture – Refining NZ – images at the link.

    Refining New Zealand said the images showed tooth indentations and scrapping and gouging were caused by digger’s bucket.

    It said the photos also show where the pipe ruptured after sustaining earlier damage.

    …
    But a Northland conservation group said MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] could not know for sure when the site was last dug over for swamp kauri.
    …
    Northland Environmental Protection Society president Fiona Furrell said people have been digging up swamp kauri in Northland for years without MPI’s knowledge.

    2. 3.2

      Gotta say, given the size of that hole and that the pipe is rated to 9 MPa (1300 psi) operating pressure I’m surprised it only spilled 70,000 litres.

      1. 3.2.1

        These days the pressure sensors are in the pipe casing at regular intervals, digital so they are trusted to either be right or very wrong, remotely testable, and computer monitored.

        It would have seen a pressure drop, tested the sensor(s), seen the expected pressure drop in neighbouring sensors and immediately shut down pumping and closed the nearest valves. It is only a 10 inch pipe, so the volumes shouldn’t have been 70 cubic metres unless the valves were a long way apart.

        http://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/cylinder.cgi
        Ummm looks like 1381 metres of the pipe volume spilled. Ok that is reasonable. I wouldn’t have expected that they’d have valves too close.

            1. 3.2.1.1.1.1

              Like you said above, the line would have shut down pretty quickly, and probably automatically. Once the pressure dissipated the flow would reduce almost to nothing, especially if the water table was above the pipe, which would be probable there. The pegging would have been as much to stop debris getting into the pipe as much as containing the contents.

              The contingency plan would swing into action as soon as they realised they had a leak, hence the early reports of having a helicopter along the line to find the problem.

  4. 4

    So, no accountability for Judith until after the election – surely some news outlet would take the risk on this story, given the details appear uncontested? This story has all of the elements required to severely embarrass the government on the eve of the election – high risk/high reward – what about NewsHub, they often run balanced articles?

    1. 4.1

      And only if National lose. At this rate, whoever caused the problem should be going out of business on the back of any legal action. I won’t hold my breath.

      1. 4.2.1

        To JC
        “So Dom Post, (Stuff) turned it down. Wonder why”
        Because they looked at it and decided it was typical Greenpeace dirty politics.
        They weren’t going to be conned into publishing a load of b*s that could swing the election and save Mr Normans former party.
        This sort of rubbish is typical of Norman isn’t it.

        2. 4.2.1.2

          Dirty politics?

          The fiscal hole LIE by Dildo Baggins.
          Porky Bennett’s ‘some have more rights than others’ bs.
          Burglar Bill’s theft of housing allowance/450 texts deleted over Barclay’s malfeasance in Southland. Lied to NZ over police involvement. LIAR.
          Jupig’s involvement in Oravida; ditto her scumpig mate Shitley. I could list endless lies, deceit, corruption by Natscum but don’t have enough room: McCunty’s Saudi bribe, Pike River is a crime scene, hospitals, suicide, homelessness…

          Pot, kettle, colour check!

      2. 4.3.2

        Tracey .. so tempting on the last evening before the election ! Any cryptics you can share ? There are several I can think of … so much odious activity in the Gnatz ..

    4. 4.4

      Haha good one! #asif The Joker’s Mum will admit/fess up. Conflict of interest, I heard her bs and spin on rnz today: I smell bullshit! Note the neighbours of property said there were diggers going at it 3 months ago. Nek minit, Jupig’s hubby divests himself of all directorships to do with Ruakaka Kauri (formerly Oravida Kauri) on July 1.

      How convenient.

      1. 4.4.1

        https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/3909858?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid+WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

        C had put this link up earlier but lost in all the code and the crap of tonite…

        What caught my eye now late in the eve was this:

        “As of Oct 20016 this company, (Presumably owned by David WONG-TUNG
        40 Fern Glen Road North, St Heliers, Auckland, 1071 , New Zealand),

        … “is now overdue in its obligation to file an annual return. If the annual return is not filed immediately the Registrar will initiate action to remove the company from the register.”

        Is there a possibly of stuff going down prior to then ….

  6. 6

    There appears to be a massive chunk missing from a steel pipe, and no one seems to be able to remember as far back as last thursday to know what was going on. Ok!

    1. 6.1

      Na, nothing missing, apart from what the digger scraped off. The pipe has failed along the line of the scrape mark and opened out with the pressure.

    2. 7.2

      Apparently these are hard questions. If the media had applied the Turei strategy they coukd have found sources willibg to talk…

      1. 7.2.1

        I’d bet the media knows who owns the land. It wouldn’t be that hard to figure out from the aerial photos that have been published.

        So yeah, beneficiaries compared to farmers.

  8. 8

    transparency? The people of NZ deserve to know if the is indeed about Oravida or any has any connection to Oravida. It could be seen as a coverup if the truth is withheld.

  10. 10

    crushers husband has been a busy boy

    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/individual/search?q=David+WONG-TUNG&roleType=ALL&indEntityTypes=ALL&indDirStatus=ALL&indEntityStatusGroups=ALL&addressKeyword=&advancedPanel=false#results

    All the pieces are there…
    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/1814679/directors?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid%20WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

    I imagine with claws in so many companies it would be hard to keep track of all the paper work… or was he planning on this entity being struck off? https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/3909858?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid+WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

    So he is a director of a company whose shares are owned by ‘kauri’ companies…. well, well, well

    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/3112805/shareholdings?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid+WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

  11. 11

    Notorious cowboys the Kauri extractors. A few years ago Far North Council environmental officer Michael Nager was driving his council ute to a related court hearing to give evidence. A vehicle behind him kept flashing it’s lights. He pulled over and was beaten, stabbed and had bleach thrown in his eyes. Obviously his evidence never made it to that day’s hearing.

    I think the best way to find out who was doing the digging is to drop the pipeline repair and aviation damages bill on the property owner’s desk. I suspect he would point the finger before losing his farm.

  13. 13

    It looks like the pipe was damaged some time ago, if it was a crew working for our energy minister’s husband’s company I can well imagine the National party campaign manager calling in 11th hour cap-in-hand favours requesting the story be put on ice.

    If the Kauri digger driver was anything like the ones I know a question relating to checking what’s under the ground before digging starts would be met with silence.

    It’s a neo-liberal circle, an illuminating illustration of exploitive greedy neo-liberalism vs turning a ‘go to sleep at night’ dollar.

    All those people unable to get to funerals, weddings, reunions, meetings. All those jets standing idle on the tarmac.

    “That’s a nice new Bentley Judith.”

  14. 14

    Judith did it herself to get on morning report and wateva Campbell’s show is. Sick of Bill English and Ardern getting all the coverage.

          1. 14.1.1.1.1

            Between her and Boag, they’ve got that sewn up eh. 😉

            The Joker’s Mum is what I think of Jupig: her hubby’s company is Ruakaka Kauri now, ‘cept he divested himself on July 1 of directorships: #Ismellbullshit and quite a lot of it. The endless circle jerk that is this corrupt govt is obscene and needs to be stopped eh.

            Note they can hound a woman over an old debt but can’t find who owns the land?

            2. 14.1.1.1.1.2

              Maybe it is owned by an invisible blind trust registered in Panama with a lawyer in Auckland CBD with links to Russia and China? Maybe “they” are not looking very hard … I’m tempted but being here on TS is much more enjoyable and much better for the soul!

  15. 15

    There’s a lot of question’s to be answered on that pipe .
    And someone should have the task of checking all OUR strategic assets for any weak points and have plans drawn up to deal with the worst scenario ASAP

    1. 15.1

      Govt employs a heap of policy analysts and over the last few years,MBIE guys would have looked at the risks attached to this pipeline and produced contingency plans ,which we have seen jump into action over the last few days. Thats how good government works. Waiting for a working group to report to a ministerial committtee after the full moon is not how things should happen.

      1. 15.1.1

        One of the MBIE reports recommended that Aucklanders “fill up less” so not much of an in-depth analysis there.

        The last week looked more like a pack of chooks running around after their heads had been chopped off, franticly looking for a solution. If there had been appropriate disaster management there would have been jet fuel restrictions last Friday, or even Thursday evening, not Monday.

  16. 16

    The costs of running a second pipeline would be staggering. Not so much the pipe, getting the go ahead from landowners. Prohibitive, not just for NZ refining, but even for our purse.

    Winston’s railway and a fleet of rolling stock tankers are looking like a bargain.

    1. 17.1

      Marine terminal[ offshorebuoy] kawakawa bay-Kaiaua vicinity. Tankfarm & pipeline to wiri plus rail linkto Northport and rolling stock.
      Sorted.

  18. 18

    Investigation?

    “Yeah g’day Rick, who were those jokers with diggers in your bottom paddock a few years ago? Got a number?”

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