Displaying items by tag: Waikato Regional Council

The Government is looking at intervening on behalf of Waikato farmers who face new regulations around agricultural land use while Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms are underway.

Federated Farmers is urging the Government to put a halt to Waikato Regional Council's controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1), warning the regulations will impose significant costs, complexity and duplication on thousands of farmers while major national reforms remain unresolved.

South Waikato farmer David Christensen was convicted and fined $56,000 for two unlawful discharges of dairy effluent following a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council. The fine was imposed by Judge Melinda Dickey from the Huntly District Court after Christensen plead guilty to two charges under the Resource Management Act.

A contract milker and a dairy farm owner have been convicted and fined a combined $66,500 for the unlawful discharge of dairy shed effluent and stockfeed leachate into the environment.

The Environment Court has directed Waikato Regional Council to make 20 specific changes to finalise a landmark plan to improve water quality in the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

A Waihi dairy farmer, Keith Torrens, has been convicted and fined $39,000 for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent following a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council.

Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.

Rawhiti Environmental Park Limited has been convicted on eight charges and fined a total of $437,000 for persistent discharges of raw piggery effluent into the environment between February and October 2023.

Changes to resource management laws announced last week will spare thousands of farmers from needing an unnecessary resource consent just to keep farming.

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.