Another dump in native bush

A disbelieving Bruce Gordon surveys the mess.

Another huge illegal dump site has been found in native bush next to a Far North roadside, this time close to an important historic site.

Haruru Falls man Bruce Gordon, who found the dump off scenic, unsealed Ruapekapeka Road, south of Kawakawa, estimated the volume of rubbish as "easily" 100 cubic metres.

One large load of domestic waste, including tin cans, kitchen scraps and used nappies in black bin bags, appeared to have been dumped from a truck.

Other items included armchairs, large television sets, a fridge, mattresses, a car, toys, glass, and even children's school projects.

Some of the items, which may have been dumped by owners or thieves, are highly distinctive.

"It's disgusting, look at it. It's in a pristine bit of bush on a tourist road," Mr Gordon said.
What made it worse was that it was on the road leading to Ruapekapeka Pa, site of the final battle of the Northern War of 1845-46 and one of the most significant historic sites in the Mid North.

"I appreciate times are hard and unemployment is high up here, but there's no excuses for this," he added.

Mr Gordon said some of the people responsible would have driven past the nearby Whangae transfer station, so they had to go out of their way to dump illegally. A large proportion of the rubbish was bottles and cans, which could be left free of charge at Whangae for recycling.

Mr Gordon spotted a small pile of fresh trash, including a moon boot and high-vis vests, on the edge of the layby when he was driving home from a contracting job on Wednesday. When he took a closer look he was horrified to see much, much more spilling into the bush.

Earlier this month Mr Gordon took a car-load of rubbish dumped in a layby on Puketona Road, near Paihia, to a transfer station at his own expense. Some items clearly identified the owners, but the council told him it could not prosecute without proof of who had dumped it.

Last year the council spent $14,000 cleaning up a massive dump site in steep bush beside Ngaiotonga Road, about 20km from Russell. Evidence found there led to six people being fined $100. One fine was paid, while the others were referred to the courts.

In February the council adopted a new litter infringement policy, setting fines of $100 for minor offences, rising to $400 for hazardous, offensive or large amounts of rubbish. In the worst cases, for offending likely to cause injury, disease or infection, the Litter Act 1979 allows fines of up to $7500 or one month in jail.