Report an environmental incident

It's our responsibility to monitor compliance, educate resource users and enforce the requirements of the Resource Management Act 1991. Enforcing the rules set out in the regional plans and resource consent requirements is a critical part of meeting this responsibility.

 

Responding to environmental incidents

Find out more about how we respond to environmental incidents and the different types of enforcement we apply.

Current environmental incidents

Find the latest alerts for unexpected or urgent incidents involving discharges to land, air, and water, where we need the public to avoid a particular area.

How we enforce and handle reports

We take environmental compliance seriously under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). We use a range of tools to respond to environmental incidents and breaches, and we encourage the public to report any activity that may harm the environment.

Enforcement tools available

We have a range of enforcement options under the RMA:

  • Verbal or written warnings – for minor breaches or as a first step
  • Abatement notices – can be issued where in the opinion of an Enforcement Officer there are adverse effects or a contravention of the Act, or where a specific action should be taken to avoid, remedy or mitigate those effects
  • Infringement notices – theses and fines can be issued for failure to comply with an abatement notice. Failure to comply with the abatement notice may incur a $2,000 infringement fee for an individual and $4,000 for a company 
  • Enforcement orders through the Environment Court – for serious or ongoing non-compliance
  • Prosecution – for significant offences or repeated non-compliance

Penalties under the RMA

  • Individuals – imprisonment up to 18 months and fines up to $1,000,000

  • Companies – fines up to $10,000,000

Infringement notices and fees

Infringement notices are suitable for responding quickly to relatively minor offences that do not warrant prosecution.

When an alleged offence is determined as meeting the threshold for an infringement notice, it requires the payment of a fine but it is not sufficiently significant to warrant a prosecution case.

The infringement fees, which are set by Resource Management (Infringement Offences) Amendment Regulations 2025, range as follows: 

  • Individuals – from $600 to $2,000
  • Companies – from $1,200 to $4,000

Fees effective from 4 September 2025 (Resource Management (Infringement Offences) Amendment Regulations 2025):

Offence Individual fee Company fee
Section 9(1) and 9(2) – restrictions on use of land in a manner that contravenes a national environmental standard or regional rule $1,500 $3,000
Section 9(3) and 9(4) – restrictions on use of land in a manner that contravenes a district rule, designation or heritage order $600 $1,200
Section 12 – restrictions on use of coastal marine area $1,000 $2,000
Section 13 – restriction on certain uses of beds of lakes and rivers $1,000 $2,000
Section 14 – restrictions relating to water $1,000 $2,000
Section 15(1)(a) and (b) – discharge of contaminants or water into water or discharge of contaminants onto or into land where contaminant is likely to enter water $1,500 $3,000
Section 15(1)(c) and (d) – discharge of contaminants into environment from industrial of trade premises $2,000 $4,000
Section 15(2) [or (2A)] – discharge of contaminant into air or onto or into land $600 $1,200
Abatement notice (other than a notice under section 322(1)(c) ) $2,000 $4,000
Water shortage direction under section 329 $2,000 $3,000
Section 15A – dumping or incineration of waste or other matter in the coastal marine area $1,500 $3,000
Section 15B(1) and (2) – discharge in the coastal marine area of harmful substances, contaminants, or water from a ship or offshore installation $1,500 $3,000
Section 22 – failure to provide certain information to an enforcement officer $1,000 $2,000
Section 327 – excessive noise $1,000 $2,000
section 322(1)(c) – abatement notice for unreasonable noise $1,500 $3,000

Reporting environmental incidents

If you notice an activity that could cause environmental harm:

Each report is referred to a compliance officer, who will assess the incident and determine the most appropriate response.

Transparency note: If you provide your contact details, we will aim to update you on the outcome of your report. Anonymous reports cannot always be followed up. Investigations can take time, and legal requirements may prevent us from sharing full enforcement details.

⚠️Current environmental incidents: Stay informed about serious air, water, and land incidents – check current alerts and let us know if you spot any environmental issues

  Download and read our annual compliance reports