The High Court has dismissed a yachtie's application to set aside a bankruptcy notice over his refusal to pay the Northland Regional Council costs of more than $17,000.
NRC obtained a bankruptcy notice against Bernard Philbrick in September last year after he refused to pay $17,336, including $12,057 in legal costs, ordered by the Environment Court in 2015.
He applied to the High Court to set aside that notice and made a counterclaim of $20,000 in damages against NRC for distress and anxiety.
His dispute with NRC started after the environment watchdog issued him with two abatement notices in 2010 and another in 2013 for anchoring his 18m-ketch, Rose Maree, in different places in the Whangarei Harbour for longer than permitted under the Regional Coastal Plan.
The plan stipulates vessels must not anchor in coastal waters within the same embayment, inlet or estuary for more than 14 consecutive days except where anchorage for a longer period is necessary due to bad weather, accident, or emergency.