Watch Anthonie Tonnon's Video For 'Mataura Paper Mill'

Aotearoa songwriter and history buff Anthonie Tonnon has revealed ahead of schedule a vivid video for his new single 'Mataura Paper Mill', filmed by Andrew Charlton. The seamlessly single-shot, drone footage clip (the credits note additional editing by Tristan J Brooks), slowly glides down the Mataura River, inviting listeners to take in every visible detail of the current state of the aforementioned Mill's Southland site. Originally written to accompany the artist's recent A Synthesized Universe show, Tonnon's ballad (from a new album due later in 2020) draws attention to an urgent environmental situation endangering the Mataura community and beyond, as detailed in an accompanying statement...

"In the middle of last decade, a contractor to the Tiwai point aluminum smelter placed 10 000 tonnes of Ouvea premix, an aluminium dross product, in the Mataura Paper Mill, before folding its New Zealand operations. If brought into contact with water, this substance could release ammonia gas into the populated urban community.

On February 5, the town of Mataura had a near miss with this situation, when the Mataura River flooded. This has lent urgency to a campaign to remove the dross.

There is a new petition before parliament, with the aim of moving the dross to Tiwai Point. Signatures are due by March 24."

Anthonie Tonnon performs at the free Whanganui Walls Of Sound Festival on Saturday 21st March, for the full lineup and more info head along over here.