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Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

Miscellaneous provisions - Offences - Offences relating to stormwater network

319: Disposing of or discharging materials or substances into stormwater network causing specified serious risk

You could also call this:

"Don't put harmful things into stormwater drains if it can hurt people or the environment, or you might get a big fine."

Illustration for Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

If you put things into a stormwater network and that causes a big risk to people or the environment, you can get in trouble. You have to mean to cause that risk or not care that you might be causing it. If you do this, you can be fined if you are found guilty. If you are an individual, the fine can be up to $200,000. If you are a company or a group, the fine can be up to $1.5 million. You can compare this to a similar law from 2022, which is available on the legislation website.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1006766.

Topics:
Environment and resources > Food and water safetyCrime and justice > Criminal law
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320: Negligently disposing of or discharging materials or substances into stormwater network causing specified serious risk, or

"Don't carelessly put bad things into stormwater drains or you might get a big fine."

Part 5Miscellaneous provisions
Offences: Offences relating to stormwater network

319Disposing of or discharging materials or substances into stormwater network causing specified serious risk

  1. A person commits an offence if they—

  2. dispose of or discharge materials or substances into a stormwater network and that disposal or discharge causes a specified serious risk; and
    1. intentionally cause, or are reckless as to causing, that specified serious risk.

      1. A person who commits an offence against this section is liable on conviction,—

      2. for an individual, to a fine not exceeding $200,000:
        1. for a body corporate or an unincorporated body, to a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.

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