Waikato Regional Council has commenced a prosecution under the Resource Management Act against one company and one
individual relating to activities at the Puke Coal landfill site at Pukemiro, west of Huntly.
The landfill has been the scene of an ongoing fire since August 2020 resulting in hundreds of complaints from residents
relating to the impact of smoke and objectionable odour.
The 44 charges were filed by the council in the Huntly District Court last Friday (13 August 2021) following a formal
investigation spanning almost a year.
The court has not yet set a first hearing date.
“We have taken the unusual step of announcing the commencement of this prosecution due to the high public interest
relating to the activities on this site. But with this matter now before the courts we will not be able to provide any
further detail,” said council regional compliance manager Patrick Lynch.