Young water science talent recognised
Third-year student Cady Burns has won the Waikato Regional Council Prize in Water Science for 2024.
A Matamata truck wash business and a Hauraki farmer have both been convicted and fined over separate pollution events resulting from poor management of effluent infrastructure.
Paddy Smith Limited was fined $60,000 by Judge Jeff Smith in the Tauranga District Court for the unlawful discharge of animal effluent from the washdown of stock trucks at their rural site.
William Gary Brunt was fined $49,000 by Judge Brian Dwyer in the Hamilton District Court for unlawfully discharging animal effluent into the environment at his Netherton farm.
In the first case, Waikato Regional Council responded to a complaint from a member of the public in May 2020. Council staff found that an irrigator had been operated next to a gully for about six hours resulting in substantial ponding of contaminant creating flow paths to the Tututahunga Station. The discharge comprised washdown from stock trucks.
In the second case, an effluent holding pond was found to be overflowing into a nearby paddock by Waikato Regional Council staff during a routine inspection in August 2019. The council had alerted Brunt to the risks his system posed to the environment during previous inspections.
Waikato Regional Council’s regional compliance manager Patrick Lynch says “In both cases there was adequate infrastructure to manage effluent; however, they had been poorly managed resulting in these two completely avoidable incidents.
“This is an opportunity to remind anyone that manages contaminants as part of their business to be vigilant, not only to protect the environment, but also to protect themselves from the consequences of environmental breaches,” Lynch says.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.