Friday, 25 July 2025 12:55

$52,500 fine for effluent mismanagement

Written by  Staff Reporters
Waikato Regional Council officer sampling contamination at overflowing pond. Photo Credit: Waikato Regional Council. Waikato Regional Council officer sampling contamination at overflowing pond. Photo Credit: Waikato Regional Council.

A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.

Arrick Limited was convicted and sentenced by District Court Judge Melinda Dickey on 4 February 2025 on a charge filed under the Resource Management Act, with the sentencing decision received this week.

In November 2023, Waikato Regional Council officers conducted a compliance inspection at a farm owned by the defendant at Taupiri, north of Hamilton.

They found the dairy effluent storage pond was overflowing, with effluent ponding in the surrounding paddock at such a depth and volume that it posed a risk of contaminating groundwater.

In her sentencing decision, Judge Dickey found the system was poorly managed in the time leading up to the offending and concluded that the defendant had been highly careless in its management of proper effluent disposal on the farm.

“Unfortunately, this is a case where the defendant has failed to address effluent management on the property despite repeated requests by the council since 2012 for the farm owner to upgrade the farm effluent system and previous discharges from the same pond,” says Waikato Regional Council acting regional compliance manager Evan Billington.

“The rules are very clear, and do not permit the discharge and ponding of effluent from effluent holding facilities,” Billington says.

“That’s because large volumes of ponded effluent can pose a real risk of contaminating groundwater.”

More like this

Fliegl offers effluent solutions

Founded in Germany as recently as 1977, today, the Fliegl Group employs more than 1100 workers, offering an expansive range of transport solutions, from their base in Bavaria.

Featured

Tributes paid to Jim Bolger

Dignitaries from  all walks of life – the governor general,  politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and  friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.

Meet the Need: Helping Kiwis put food on the table

Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Red faced

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…

Cold comfort

One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter