Waikato farmer fined $97,500 over dairy effluent discharge

A Waikato dairy farmer has been fined $97,500 for unlawfully discharging dairy effluent into the environment on his farm near Hamilton, with a judge describing his conduct as “highly careless”.

According to a report by 1News, Wayne Maurice Clarke was convicted following a prosecution by the Waikato Regional Council under the Resource Management Act. The Huntly District Court released the decision on October 15.

The case dates back to September 2025, when council officers inspected Clarke’s 170-cow dairy farm in Te Kōwhai. During the inspection, they discovered “significant ponding” of dairy effluent that had been irrigated onto already saturated soil, according to the council, 1News has reported.

Investigators found that the farm’s effluent infrastructure was inadequate and that proper storage facilities and oversight of irrigation practices were lacking.

Waikato Regional Council investigations team leader Evan Billington said the unlawful discharge had been “entirely avoidable”, 1News has reported.

"Despite decades of ownership and management by Mr Clarke, insufficient investment had been made in effluent infrastructure and systems to ensure effluent was managed sustainably," he said, as quoted by 1News.

"It was concerning that no one had oversight of effluent irrigation over a three-day period leading up to this incident, despite wet weather and soil conditions," as quoted by 1News.

The prosecution followed years of warnings and enforcement action over environmental breaches on the property.

"Between 2015 and 2024, the council issued Mr Clarke with an abatement notice, six infringement notices and five formal warnings for environmental breaches," Billington said. "Despite these actions, he has failed to improve his system or practices," 1News has quoted.

In her ruling, Judge Melinda Dickey criticised Clarke’s repeated failure to address the farm’s effluent management issues despite earlier warnings and advice from the council.

"I do so in the context of his sustained failure to prevent effluent discharges at the farm, despite significant council intervention and repeated advice that the farm’s effluent system was inadequate and required upgrading," she said, as quoted by 1News.

"The offending was entirely foreseeable and could have been avoided if Mr Clarke had complied with his environmental obligations in a timely manner”, as quoted by 1News.

The case highlights the importance of proper effluent management on dairy farms, particularly during wet weather when saturated soils increase the risk of environmental contamination.