The Minister for the Environment, Dr Nick Smith, announced today that a public meeting will be held in Mapua near Nelson on 31 July so residents can find out the results of a key report into the state of the former contaminated Fruitgrowers Chemical Company site.

Dr Smith says the Ministry for the Environment has received the final report of the Mapua site auditor.

"This is an important report that will determine whether or not the site is fit for the community to use for recreational, commercial and residential purposes. It represents a significant step in the process of cleaning up Mapua.

"The Ministry is currently assessing the report and considering the recommendations. It will present the report to residents at a public meeting so they can hear the results first hand and have an opportunity to ask questions of the auditor and officials from the Ministry and Tasman District Council, the site's owner.

"I can confirm that the Ministry intends to implement all the recommendations in the site auditor's report and will report on progress at the 31 July meeting.

"I had hoped residents would have had the results of the Medical Officer of Health's report on Mapua by now. However, this has been delayed due to the workload resulting from the swine flu outbreak. I understand that health officials are making every effort to complete the report."

Dr Smith says further details of the 31 July meeting, such as venue and time, will be released later.