Two companies have been fined for damaging an archaeological site in Tauranga.
Neil Construction Ltd and S&L Consultants Ltd pleaded guilty to damaging an archaeological site without an archaeological authority, and have been convicted and discharged on the basis that they both pay a donation of $7500 to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust to put towards its work.
The site is owned by Neil Construction and the illegal earthworks undertaken in March this year resulted in damage to eight archaeological features relating to a pre-European Maori settlement.
Under the Historic Places Act, damage to an archaeological site or archaeological features without an archaeological authority from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust is illegal, and can be subject to fines of up to $40,000.
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust lower northern regional archaeologist Rachel Darmody said the damage to the middens was significant and could have been avoided.