Townsfolk deserve to share in $300k fine

Anna Wallis PHOTO/FILE

Three hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money.

And it's a lot of money in the Waimarino and especially in Raetihi.

It's the amount Ruapehu Alpine Lifts has been fined for contaminating the Makotuku Stream with diesel from one of its tanks on the mountain.

A court hearing in Ohakune before Environment Court Judge B P Dwyer last week fined the company $300,000 plus court costs. It's a hefty fine and RAL is not a rich company, operating on two skifields that are often marginal. But presumably some or all will be met by insurance. The judge imposed the penalty for not only the spill but for RAL's lack of maintenance on the tank system, lack of an annually test emergency response plan and failing to notify WorkSafe New Zealand - the old Labour Department - of the spill.

The penalties imposed by the court in terms of fines must now go to those communities affected, mainly the people of Raetihi. That seemed the way the judge was heading when he directed the money go to Horizons Regional Council for community use.

The town's citizens are owed compensation for the three weeks they put up with no water. It was a hardship that began when they started reporting their water source was polluted, weren't believed and it took three days to get the water supply turned off.

Businesses have been paid compensation.

However, it's time residents were compensated and the simplest way would be for Horizons to funnel the fine straight through to those people adversely affected. Of course people coped. And they didn't really kick up much of a fuss.

But in the words of Raetihi pensioner Elizabeth Henare in the midst of the crisis: "I never expected to go through something like this."

Time for some good news out of this for Raetihi, maybe even in time for Christmas.