Polluting waterways, dumping waste, or ignoring abatement notices has become far more costly in Otago, with fines for environmental breaches now increased by 100 to 900 percent.

The changes follow a nationwide update to the Resource Management (Infringement Offences) Regulations, the first since the rules were introduced 25 years ago.

In the 2024/25 financial year, Otago Regional Council (ORC) issued 62 infringements for environmental breaches and similar breaches will now attract far heavier penalties.

ORC compliance manager Simon Wilson said the fines had not kept pace with inflation and, until the update, were often too low to change behaviour. 

As noted by the Ministry for the Environment when it began its review into environmental fines in 2023, in many cases it was cheaper to pay an infringement fee than to comply with the rules.

Under the new structure, individuals can be fined between $600 and $2,000, while companies can face $1,200 to $4,000. 

One of the steepest increases is for companies breaching land-use restrictions, where fines have risen from $300 to $3,000.

The maximum $4,000 fine for companies applies to three serious offences: releasing contaminants from industrial or trade premises, contravening an abatement notice, or breaching a water shortage direction.

The amended legislation also notes that if an individual or company defends a fine in court and is found guilty of an offence, the court could potentially impose a penalty higher than the infringement fee and additional costs could be imposed.

It also includes the separation of the land use infringement offence into two different land use offences with different fees, and widening the scope of activities that are subject to infringement notices for dumping waste in coastal marine areas.

The new fines came into effect on September 4.

PHOTO: Supplied