Dairy contractors who polluted the Kopurererua stream have been fined in the Environment Court.

Maddison Slurry Spreading Ltd was fined $23,421.93, including costs, for twice discharging dairy effluent into the Kopurererua Stream – a spring-fed watercourse that drains into the Tauranga Harbour.
The Maddison Slurry discharges occurred near Taumata road. A number of houses in the stream's upper catchment rely on the stream for drinking water.
Maddison Slurry Spreading pleaded guilty. The prosecution was brought by Environment BOP under the Resource Management Act.
The first effluent discharge into the stream was on 9 November 2008 when a pipe coupling from an effluent irrigator broke. About 100,000 litres discharged from the pipe during a 20-minute period and a large amount of it went into the stream.
The second incident, on 10 November 2008, was pouring too much effluent onto a paddock. It was caused by an irrigator being operated on half turns but not being moved often enough. The pooled effluent flowed into a tributary of the Kopurererua Stream.
Judge Jeff Smith said the breaches were unfortunate lapses and that he hoped the amount of the fines will be sufficient deterrent for people in future.
Dairy farmers Alec Glen Buchanan and Aidan Buchanan were fined $14,000 for effluent discharges at Pukehina in August 2008.
The Buchanan's pleaded guilty and paid investigation costs of $5,000 separately to Environment Bay of Plenty.
Judge Smith said the location of the Buchanan's farm at Cutwater Road was particularly difficult for effluent discharge when there was wet weather.
Their pond was full and the Buchanans made the decision to use the irrigator in spite of wet conditions.
'The pump was in the wrong place and had insufficient pressure to drive it,” Judge Smith said.
In September 2008 a regional council inspection found a large area of pooling with effluent flowing through the internal farm drains and discharging to the Cutwater Drain, caused by a broken coupling in a pipe leading from an effluent pond to an irrigator.
The staff member who switched it on the irrigator failed to turn it off when asked, and the Buchanans did not check.
Judge Smith said the Pukehina area is heavily farmed and a number of canals discharge into the Waihi Estuary, making it particularly sensitive to large effluent pulses. 'The long-term effect on the estuary is negative and it has suffered ecological decline,” says the Judge.

In a separate hearing, before Judge Melanie Harland, Pyes Pa farmer Anthony Peter Kampshof and AP & CA Kampshof Limited pleaded guilty and were fined $7,444.04, including costs, discharging dairy effluent into a tributary of the Waiorahi Stream, which flows into Tauranga Harbour.
A regional council inspection in October 2008 found effluent flowing from the pond into the stream at a rate of approximately three litres per minute.
Kampshof had not checked the ponds for 14 days before Environment BOP discovered the discharge.
Judge Harland said that the discharge was the result of poor maintenance and monitoring by a responsible farmer who was caught out.
At Pukehina, Seaspray Farms Limited was convicted of three discharges into the Pukehina Canal.
The company of which Geoffrey, Lynette and Aaron Taft from Pukehina are directors and shareholders, was fined $15,729 including costs.