Compliance monitoring annual report released

Today, Environment Canterbury released its Compliance Monitoring Annual report for the 2014-2015 year.

Compliance and monitoring manager Marty Mortiaux said “New Zealanders care about their natural environment and wish to see it protected. They also want those who break the rules to be brought to account.”

The report reflects a more targeted approach to resource consent monitoring based on the environmental risk of activities.

“Because we have more than 24,000 consents to monitor, we concentrated on consent holders with a history of non-compliance as well as those activities that could have a greater impact on the environment. There has also been an increase in the number of larger, more complex consents which now include nutrient management provisions.”

The prime focus for compliance was water use. Groundwater abstraction consents had the highest rate of significant non-compliance. Surface water abstraction and agricultural discharges followed close behind.

Overall, during the year, Environment Canterbury issued 81 abatement notices and 36 infringement notices with $50,500 worth of fines. Three successful prosecutions were concluded, including one that led to Interflow Ltd contributing $80,000 towards remediation of a stream on Banks Peninsula.

“Ensuring compliance with rules and consents is an important part of Environment Canterbury’s role,” Mr Mortiaux said. “Our aim is to achieve a high level of voluntary compliance by working with individuals and the community, but if unsuccessful we have several tools we can use to make sure rules are complied with. We will be taking a harder line on water compliance now that rules are in place clearly showing what is not acceptable.

“We always start with education and practical suggestions to resolve non-compliance with a rule or a resource consent. When there is repeat non-compliance, or the impact of an incident on the environment is significant, enforcement action, such as a fine, will be taken.

“Environment Canterbury won’t hesitate to apply these tools if required,” Mr Mortiaux said. “We use abatement notices and infringement notices often. Prosecution is necessary only for the most serious breaches. They are time-consuming and expensive to follow through and we must make sure we are using our funds and resources wisely. Court cases are a last resort. Ultimately we are looking for good environmental outcomes.

“We rely on members of the public to help us identify possible offences. If you see anything suspicious, please call the Pollution Hotline on 0800 76 55 88 as soon as you see it.”

ENDS

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