A Manawatu businessman’s “blatant disregard of the environment” has earned him more than $180,000 in fines under the Resource Management Act.
Horizons Regional Council successfully prosecuted Ken Thurston with five charges relating to wastewater discharges from Mainland Meats at Longburn in 2006, as well as three charges of effluent discharge onto land during 2007 and 2008.
Judge Brian Dwyer sentenced Thurston in the Palmerston North District Court today.
Horizons Chief Executive Michael McCartney described Thurston as a “slippery character” who has been known to the council for many years.
“I know that a number of our staff members have committed some serious time to making sure our case against Thurston was as robust as possible. His offending was not a matter of unintentional or unwitting discharges – it was completely intentional and he showed a blatant disregard of the environment.
“He was discharging meat contaminants straight into a waterway and he couldn’t care less about the people it affected. This kind of behaviour deserves the level of punishment that Judge Dwyer delivered.”
Thurston had been found guilty of three charges of illegal discharging wastewater into the Manawatu River between May and August 2006. Additional charges of illegally discharging dairy shed effluent onto land between November 2007 and January 2008 were also brought, and Thurston was found guilty earlier this year of all charges as well as with breaching a series of abatement notices imposed in relation to both situations.
Senior Investigator at Horizons, Greg Bevin, said Judge Dwyer recognised that Thurston had attempted to mislead and confuse council staff at the start of their investigations. Mr Bevin investigated the Longburn site during 2006 and found evidence of substantial fatty, orange residues at a drain edge and on plants.
“It was heartening to hear Judge Dwyer recognise that the offending was calculated, cynical and deliberate and that Thurston was completely motivated by the costs he was facing to lawfully dispose of the wastewater.
“In my experience this would definitely be the worst example of a business owners’ breach of the Resource Management Act in our region, and is certainly at the top end of the environmental offending scale.”
Today’s sentencing fines for discharging wastewater from the meats processing plant into the Manawatu River are:
o For offences between 23 May 2006 to 8 June 2006 – $40,000
o 9 June 2006 – $40,000
o 21 August 2006 – $7,500
o 16 and 28 November 2006 – $5,000
o 16 and 28 November 2006 (breaching the requirements of an abatement notice) – $25,000.
o Horizons’ investigation costs – $15,000
Mr Thurston and his company Tawera Land Co Ltd were fined for three charges of discharging dairy shed effluent onto land in circumstances where it may enter water and two charges of breaching an Abatement Notice.
The fines are as follows:
o For offences between 22 – 29 November $15,000 plus including Horizons’ investigations costs of $6,400
o Offence on 22 December 2007 – $5,000
o Offence on 10 January – $5,000
o Breach of an abatement notice – 20 December 2007 – $10,000
o Breach of an abatement notice – 10 January 2008 – $10,000
(ends)
CONTACT: Michael McCartney or Greg Carlyon 0508 800 800

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