Gastro case adjourned
Hastings District Council is due to enter a plea next week to charges related to the Havelock North gastro crisis.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council laid charges against the district council for alleged offences uncovered in the course of its investigation into the contamination of Havelock North’s drinking water, which left an estimated 5500 people sick in August.
The matter was called before a registrar in the Hastings District Court yesterday morning where it was adjourned, without plea, until Friday next week. The district council faces two charges of unlawful taking of water.
After filing the charges earlier this month, the regional council said it found evidence of a breach of the maintenance conditions of the district council’s resource consent relating to its water take. If a breach was proved, the resource consent no longer permitted the taking of water.
The regional council commenced the prosecution, alleging the unlawful taking of water from the aquifer arising from the alleged failure to meet well head maintenance conditions.
In response to the charges, Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said it was disappointing they had been laid ahead of the start of a Government inquiry into the water contamination.
The inquiry was due to begin hearing evidence yesterday.
That process was delayed after the district council argued the legal action could prejudice its position.
In a written decision issued last week, the inquiry panel said the prejudice claim was ‘‘speculative at best’’ but it accepted the district council would have difficulty providing the inquiry with all the evidence and documents by this week. The inquiry panel said it was ‘‘regrettable’’ that the regional council had elected to take its prosecution action so close to the planned inquiry start date. - Fairfax NZ