Waikato dairy effluent breaches lead to $108,000 in fines
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.
The Waikato Regional Council says grants of up to more than $750,000 from the Waikato River Authority for environmental projects are a sign of the solid partnership between the two agencies.
“The eight projects involving the council that are being funded in the authority’s latest round will help us make a real difference,” says council chief executive Vaughan Payne.
“I thank the authority for their financial support and the close collaboration we have developed to protect the environment.”
The grants for projects involving the council were part of a total $4.4 million in funding announcements for 40 projects overall.
A maximum of $300,000 will go the council for investigating ways to protect and restore the Whangamarino wetland.
Nearly $118,000 will be available for an important project looking at ways to effect land use change in the Upper Waipa River catchment.
More than $88,000 is available for a planting project at Lake Whangape and $87,000 for Lake Waahi wetland restoration.
Another $63,000 will go towards Okohua Stream riparian restoration, $57,000 is for restoring the Moanatuatua peat bog and $32,500 is available for restoration of Lake Waikare’s northern foreshore.
Finally $8000 will go to the council in partnership with police to remove car bodies and waste from the Waikato River and Lake Karapiro.
“This is a great continuation of investment in cleaning up the Waikato and Waipa rivers. The Healthy Rivers Wai Ora plan change will help protect this ongoing investment.”
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.

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