Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

'Toxic stench' leaves businessman ill and staff told to stay away

By Christine McKay
Hawkes Bay Today·
11 Dec, 2017 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Tararua District Council's main sewage ponds on Makirikiri Rd were not the source of a toxic odour which closed a Miller's Rd business on Monday.

The Tararua District Council's main sewage ponds on Makirikiri Rd were not the source of a toxic odour which closed a Miller's Rd business on Monday.

A Dannevirke businessman says a highly toxic odour wafting across his business yesterday made him sick and he was forced to close his business and tell staff to stay at home.

"I've been sick, vomiting, had diarrhoea and dizziness and it's because of the stinking, toxic stuff drifting over my business from the council's sewage ponds," Ben Lund told the Dannevirke News yesterday morning.

Lund runs a furniture business that also makes beehives, from premises on the corner of Millers and Makirikiri Rds.

And although he thought the offensive smell was coming from the Tararua District Council's sewage ponds, the Dannevirke News has been told this isn't the case. But the council has offered no explanation for the odour, which was also smelled by district mayor Tracey Collis.

A call to Horizons Regional Council's pollution hotline went to an answerphone when Mr Lund rang yesterday, but Mrs Collis has confirmed regional council staff have contacted council staff regarding the matter.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When the Dannevirke News drove to the corner of Millers and Makirikiri Rds yesterday morning there was a strong, headache-inducing odour, but further around on Makirikiri Rd where the council's main sewage ponds are, there was no smell.

Lund said he believed the stench was coming from a small council pond directly behind his premises. The council's utilities manager could not be contacted.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Absolute disgrace': Killer deemed insane when he stabbed 'kind, loving' family man

25 Jun 03:18 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

25 Jun 02:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Could a winter playground save Splash Planet?

25 Jun 01:55 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Absolute disgrace': Killer deemed insane when he stabbed 'kind, loving' family man

'Absolute disgrace': Killer deemed insane when he stabbed 'kind, loving' family man

25 Jun 03:18 AM

Patrick Reweti's grieving mother: “There’s no justice. Not in this country anyway.”

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

25 Jun 02:10 AM
Could a winter playground save Splash Planet?

Could a winter playground save Splash Planet?

25 Jun 01:55 AM
'Constant battle': Couch dumping into beloved stream infuriates

'Constant battle': Couch dumping into beloved stream infuriates

24 Jun 11:09 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP