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Tom Walters outside the green shed at Matakana Oysters
Oysters for the People, Shit in the River
4th August, 2025
The awa is poisoned, the oysters can’t be harvested, and the system meant to protect both has failed. In Mahurangi, one farmer stands between survival and collapse. North & South’s Sarah Daniell investigates the regulatory failures, climate impacts and rising toll on the community and small business owners like Tom Walters.In a green shed just past the turn off to the Matakana, I’m handed a cup of oyster soup. I take a slurp in the same way you might neck a whole oyster. It’s an elegant, high-toned revelation in a recycled cup.