1080 is the West Coast issue that just will not go away. More than 100 people turned out at Kumara near Greymouth, to object to a planned 1080 poison drop near their town this winter.
While the residents accept that 1080 kills possums, they are concerned that it will poison their water supply. And they made sure their fears were heard when the West Coast Regional Council considered the move.
"We're not asking them to modify it, we're not asking them to back off, we're asking them to go away - we don't want it." Local resident Laurie Collins said.
Coasters are no strangers to campaigning against 1080, but they say the latest aerial drop is just too close to home.
The concern for residents is that this reservoir is right in the middle of the planned drop area and it is from there that the area gets its water supply.
The $10 million dollar programme is supposed to halt the spread of bovine TB. But protesters say their needs are being ignored for those of farmers.
The Regional Council says it is listening to their fears, however the drop is still likely to proceed.
"At this stage yes it will but as I say the consultation goes on right until the last minute," the West Cost Regional Council's Chris Pullen said. "And if we can address some of the concerns raised today, we'll certainly do that."
But locals say that is not good enough.
"It's just not on," resident John Acker said. "Even if it were totally harmless, it's in extremely poor taste to go and put something in someone's water supply."
Besides possums, campaigners claim 1080 kills huge numbers of native birds. But the Department of Conservation which owns much of the drop area, says the controversial poison is still the best tool for pest control.
"We can get it on the ground quickly over a large area and that means we kill possums really rapidly," Ian Gill from the Department of Conservation said. "And it doesn't leave little isolated pockets to infest forest areas."
The poisoning programme is planned for July, however locals hope they still have enough time to stop the drop.
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