South Waikato farmer fined for unlawful effluent discharges

A Putāruru farmer, Mr David Christensen, has been 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 Mr Christensen plead guilty to two charges under the Resource Management Act.

In September 2024, Council Compliance Officers inspected the defendant’s farm and found effluent had overflowed from the sump, causing extensive ponding onto pasture. Further ponding was found to have occurred from a travelling irrigator operating on already saturated paddocks. Both discharges posed a significant risk to contaminating groundwater. 

In sentencing, Judge Dickey described the offending as careless, noting that effluent management systems on the farm were vulnerable to failure and had not been adequately overseen. The Court found that the effluent pond was full, creating pressure to irrigate at a time when paddocks were already saturated, and that a simple alarm system could have prevented a sump overflow.  

Waikato Regional Council Regional Compliance Manager Patrick Lynch emphasises the importance of proactive and vigilant effluent management. 

“Dairy effluent systems need to be fit for purpose, robust and carefully managed at all times to avoid environmental harm. Discharges like this pose real risks to water quality, particularly in the wetter months where soils are already saturated and waterways are nearby,” Mr Lynch said. 

Read the full sentencing notes here. [PDF, 383 KB]

Above: Samples taken by WRC for testing.