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CHRISTEL YARDLEY / Things
The search for the Puke Coal landfill is “to establish the truth of what has happened here,” the Waikato Regional Council said.
A Waikato landfill at the center of a long-running fire is being searched under a warrant, a process that could take up to two days.
The search warrant at the Pukemiro landfill, southwest of Huntly, is being directed by the Waikato Regional Council, the authority said in a statement Wednesday.
Twenty-three people are doing a “very detailed scene examination”, gathering information that will be part of an ongoing investigation into possible violations of the Resource Management Act (RMA) at the Puke Coal Ltd. site.
CHRISTEL YARDLEY / THINGS
Pukemiro residents are suffering as a dumpster fire releases putrid odors (video first posted in October 2020).
However, the council’s regional compliance manager, Patrick Lynch, said the council remains “with a completely open mind” about what has been going on at the scene.
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“This search warrant is simply a regulatory agency working to establish the truth of what has happened here.”
After a fire broke out at the site on August 16, residents of Pukemiro and Glen Afton had complained of the smoke and the smell.
The council launched an investigation at that time, Lynch said.
Tom Lee / Stuff
Puke Coal owner John Campbell previously told Stuff that he does not need screening processes, because he is only doing what he has consented to.
However, the RMA investigation is independent of the multi-agency team created by the regional council in early November to respond to the fire.
That team will continue to operate, monitoring the situation and coordinating ongoing soil, air and water quality tests.
In September, Things reported that the Pukemiro landfill had absorbed waste for which it did not have consent, including plastic bales and untreated wood.
Puke Coal was detained for violating the consents in August, the Waikato district council confirmed.
When Things contacted Puke Coal, the reporter was told they were: “No comment. I have nothing to say to you and as far as I’m concerned, you can go to hell.”
CHRISTEL YARDLEY / Things
A fire started burning at the Puke Coal landfill in Pukemiro on August 16 and was not declared out until November.
The following month, nearby residents described the smell of the landfill fire as putrid, toxic and bitter.
They were frustrated that five different government agencies knew about the fire, but the landfill had not been stopped or closed.
At the time, Puke Coal owner John Campbell said Things ask the locals.
“There is no fire here,” he said. “I have nothing to say to you.”
The fire was reported to be extinguished in late November.
Campbell, who had previously refused to allow agencies to enter the site to control the fire, made a U-turn and allowed Fire and Emergency to take drone thermal imaging of the landfill.
That month, he said Things he was just trying to run his business.
“I don’t need any selection process in place, I am doing what I am authorized to do.”
However, the Waikato Regional Council said Campbell had a long history of violating the RMA.
