Source: Radio New Zealand
James Langton was fined $35,000 when he appeared for sentencing at New Plymouth District Court. Supplied / Ministry of Justice
An Ōpunake farmer who charged at a regional council staff member inspecting problems at his property has been told the courts will “not tolerate threats or intimidation” of people doing their jobs.
James Langton was fined $35,000 after pleading guilty to two charges of discharging untreated dairy effluent when he appeared for sentencing at New Plymouth District Court.
An inspection of Langton’s property on 9 October could not be completed when the dairy farmer became aggressive to staff and, on 12 October, he charged at a council officer and police had to intervene.
“This court will not tolerate threats or intimidation of council officers who are doing their job,” wrote Judge Jeff Smith in his decision which noted police were present.
Langton, who no longer operated the farm, was denied a 5 percent discount for personal remorse or otherwise good conduct due to the ‘regrettable’ charging of the council officer.
Council staff were investigating the discharge of untreated dairy effluent onto land and groundwater at the 40ha farm on Ihaia Road which could have contaminated groundwater and the Hihiwera Stream.
That visit followed seven earlier non-compliance notices from 2009 to 2022, five of which were related to effluent on the site.
Judge Smith said it was a ‘miracle’ the effluent in the 2025 incident had not made it to water after the inspection found effluent was being discharged directly from pipes rather than an irrigator and a broken outlet pipe was also discharging directly onto land.
The January sentencing was discussed at a Taranaki Regional Council Operations and Regulatory Committee on Tuesday.
The council’s compliance manager, Jared Glasgow, told the committee the decision to discard the remorse discount and the substantial fine showed the severity of the incident.
“We were appalled by the actions of the farmer. There is no place for intimidation or threats to our staff who are out in the community working to safeguard our environment,” Glasgow said.
“While we work really well with the vast majority of farmers, we hope the outcome of this case will act as a reminder that our staff are people and should be treated accordingly. Our staff are doing fantastic work and deserve to be treated with respect.
“This case is also a reminder of the importance of following resource consents and ensuring dairy effluent is disposed of correctly with zero chance of it entering waterways or groundwater.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
