An Auckland freight forwarder is paying a hefty price for causing Auckland’s most destructive freshwater and marine pollution incident in decades.
Jenners Worldwide Freight was fined $103,000, and ordered to pay $25,000 costs, after being found guilty at the Auckland District Court of spilling over 1000 litres of purple dye into the Oruarangi Stream and Estuary and the Manukau Harbour in South Auckland.
The July 2013 dye spill killed all eels and fish in the stream, just under half of the mud snails and other species in the estuary.
It drastically affected various oysters beds in the area with many oysters being killed. Fishing was banned in the area for months.
“It is a fundamental responsibility of any person in any management position to understand and appreciate the workplace risks and the wider risks associated with any activities that are conducted within the business which they manage,” says Judge Harland during the sentencing.
“The failure by management to even appreciate that there was a relevant rule in a plan that applied to them was also remarkable.”
Auckland Council resource consents compliance manager Stefan Naude says the prosecution and level of the fine makes it clear to business owners and managers that they must find out what their obligations are under the resource management act and other relevant regulations, and comply with those obligations.
“In this case, if the container had been stored in a secondary containment device, at minimal cost, as required by the regulations, the discharge of the dye could have been prevented,” says Naude.
The fine took into account the defendant’s previous good record, guilty plea and remorse.
