Matamata-Piako District Council has been convicted and fined $67,500 in the Hamilton District Court this week for unlawfully discharging wastewater, including untreated human effluent, into the Mangawhero Stream at Matamata over a five-day period in April last year.
The court was told the discharge occurred due to a failure to turn on key equipment at the council’s Matamata wastewater treatment plant, and respond to a series of automated warning messages that indicated the treatment system was at critical levels.
The case was instigated by Waikato Regional Council following a formal investigation. It was estimated that no less than 2.8 million litres of wastewater was discharged into the Waihou River via the Mangawhero Stream over last year’s Easter holiday period.
In passing sentence, Judge Melinda Dickey said she found the council’s offending “highly careless” and “that multiple alarms were raised, and their being ignored had serious consequences”.
Judge Dickey acknowledged the significant cultural, spiritual, historical and environmental importance of the receiving waterways.
