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RNZ News
13 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Fibreboard manufacturer fined $12k for large wastewater spill
A section of Saltwater Creek, which was polluted by the spill. Photo: Supplied / Google Maps The company responsible for a wastewater spill that killed thousands of fish in a North Canterbury creek has been convicted and fined $12,000. Fibreboard manufacturers Daiken New Zealand had pleaded guilty to the charge late last year, which carried a maximum penalty of $600,000. The company is wholly owned by major Japanese multinational conglomerate Daiken Corporation but is not associated with air conditioner manufacturer Daikin Industries. The charge - brought by the Canterbury Regional Council under the Resource Management Act - was of discharging of a contaminant onto or into land in a manner that resulted in the contaminant entering water, after wastewater spilled from the medium density fibreboard (MDF) factory into Saltwater Creek, a tributary of the Rakahuri/Ashley River. The spill, which happened overnight on 31 August 2023, saw wastewater contaminated by substances used in the MDF refining processes, including paraffin, urea, formaldehyde, resin, bacteria, and surfactants, as well as a small amount of treated human waste. The court heard the spill was caused by a failure in piping waste from one part of Daiken's wastewater system to another. Daiken's wastewater system was made up of an oxidation pond, an aerated pond, storage lagoons and a partially suspended lagoon (PSL), which is about 30 metres from Saltwater Creek. Recently installed Venturi manual pumps operated continuously to keep the PSL at a constant level. When a Daiken employee noticed the outlet tube of first of the new pumps was vibrating, he fixed a custom-made brace to it. But when two other pumps were installed shortly before the spill, their tubes were left unsecured. One of the tubes broke overnight, resulting in about 1500-1700 m3 of wastewater spilling onto land and into Saltwater Creek. The Daiken New Zealand Ltd factory in Ashley, near Rangiora. in 2023, wastewater was discharged to land after a pipe broke, and into the adjacent Saltwater Creek, seen here to the bottom of the company's wastewater ponds. The Ashley River/Rakahuri is less than a kilometre from the storage ponds. The company was fined $12,000 in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday. Photo: Google maps Lawyers representing Daiken said the employee who secured the pipe on the first tube was away when the other two were installed. In his absence, the company's mechanical co-ordinator contracted another company to install pump supports, and another to attend to the commissioning of the pumps. Neither installed braces. A senior representative of one of the companies told his counterpart at Daiken he was happy with the installation, and not concerned with "a little bit of movement". On the basis of that advice, and after organising for another contractor to complete the bracing the next day, Daiken's co-ordinator left the pumps running overnight. The judge described the person involved as a reliable senior employee with about 50 years experience, and classed the incident as a "one off lapse of judgement". Regional council officers at the scene after the spill recorded the creek as a "very turbid light brown" with a "strong odour of MDT effluent". Council reports and subsequent scientific analysis found the discharge resulted in "a severe and rapid drop in dissolved oxygen concentrations", with the decline in water quality persisting through most downstream river reaches for at least ten hours, and likely extended to the estuary - even with dilution - resulting in at least four to 10 hours of "severe and extensive degradation of water quality", Judge Hassan said. "Thousands of aquatic fauna would have perished, including likely the total downstream populations of some taxa including inanga, brown trout and bully" mostly by suffocation, with those left alive suffering "acute stress". Saltwater Creek is made up of a myriad of spring fed channels, and provided habitat for several threatened and endangered species, including the kana kana or pouched lamprey, long and short fin eels, inanga (whitebait), blue gill and giant bullies. Whitebait spawn in the river margins and wetlands of Saltwater Creek between autumn and winter, and surveys prior to the discharge identified declines in kākahi - fresh water mussels - which have a threat status of at risk. Other species included common smelt and black flounder. Te Aka Aka/Ashley estuary is classified as an area of significant natural value in the Regional Coastal Environmental Plan, and as an wetland of ecological and representative importance by the Department of Conservation, Judge Hassan said. The discharge coincided with the opening of the annual white-bait season. Anglers and whitebaiters were told to avoid the area, landowners and water users were warned of the risk to stock, and Te Whatu Ora was notified. The regional council's lawyers suggested a starting point of $130,000, while the company's legal counsel suggested a conviction and discharge would be appropriate, and, if not, a starting point of $130,000 was supported by precedent. On Wednesday, Judge Hassan convicted the company, and fined them $12,000. Judge Hassan found Daiken's offending to have caused a temporary severe environmental consequence, with experts predicting it would have taken 12 months for the ecology to recover, as well as cultural harm and harm to the wider community. Daiken had a commendable history of "responsible local environmental stewardship," the judge said, noting a wetland restoration project on the company's land in conjunction with the Waimakariri Biodiversity Trust. Judge Hassan said he considered the nature of the environment affected, the extent of harm inflicted, deliberateness and attitudinal factors, and found Daiken's culpability to be low. Through a restorative justice process, Daiken committed to pay $15,000 to Waimakariri Biodiversity Trust, and $15,000 to the Sefton Saltwater Creek Catchment Group, and agreed to contribute at least $20,000 towards consultants to carry out assessments and baseline exploratory work across the wider catchment. The company also proactively engaged with Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Ngāi Tuahuriri, committing to work together on enhancing the health of the creek, including providing regularly monitoring and improvement updates, Judge Hassan said. The terms of these payments were set out in an enforcement order, which requires Daiken make the payments by specified dates. After adopted a starting fine in the range in the order of $80,000, Judge Hassan discounted it for Daiken's guilty plea, good character and remorse, then accounted for the other financial commitments, resulting in the final fine of $12,000. The Rangiora company is wholly owned by Japan's Daiken Corporation, which made 210 billion yen (NZ$2 billion) in revenue and 3.9 billion yen (NZ$45m) in profit in the 2023/2024 financial year. Daiken New Zealand's revenue over the same period was NZ$185.5 million, and its profit after tax was $19.9m. Environment Canterbury compliance manager Jennifer Rochford said the fine was lower than the council expected, but it respected the decision of the court.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- India Gazette
India discusses trade in shipping sector with Singapore, Piyush Goyal meets Dy PM Gan Kim Yong
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): India and Singapore discussed the tremendous opportunities it offers in the shipping sector on Tuesday. The discussion took place between Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who discussed investments and bilateral ties in Paris. During the meeting, Goyal underlined India's huge prospects in various sectors, especially the shipping sector. In a post on social media platform X, Goyal added, 'Met H.E. Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry @MTI_Sg. Discussed enhancing our bilateral trade & investment ties. Also, highlighted the tremendous opportunities India offers across various sectors, especially in the shipping sector.' The Union Budget has placed strong impetus on realising the huge potential of India's shipping sector. The forward-looking document aims at further enabling India's shipbuilding industry with spurring & innovative initiatives to drive investment, generate income for the economy, train and employ human capital and create value for the future of the country. The Union Budget proposes to set up the Maritime Development Fund (MDF) to support India's Maritime sector by providing financial assistance, via equity or debt securities. The initial corpus of the fund is pegged at Rs 25,000 crores, where the Government contribution will be 49 per cent. The remaining balance will be contributed by Major port authorities, other government entities, Central PSEs, Financial Institutions, as well as the private sector. This fund will directly benefit from financing for ship acquisition. It aims at boosting Indian flagged ships' share in the global cargo volume up to 20 per cent by 2047. Further, the indigenous fleet will reduce the dependability of foreign ships, improve the Balance of Payment and secure the Strategic interests of the country. By 2030, MDF is aiming at generating up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore investment in the shipping sector. Goyal commenced his three-day official visit to France on Sunday. This visit is part of his ongoing visit to France and Italy from June 1 to 5. During his engagements in France, Goyal held bilateral meetings with key French Ministers, including Eric Lombard, Minister of Economy, and Laurent Saint-Martin, French Trade Minister. These discussions are focused on strengthening the Indo-French economic partnership and exploring new avenues for enhancing trade and investment cooperation. As part of the high-level visit, a comprehensive agenda of strategic business meetings and engagements has been scheduled with the top leadership of major French companies such as Vicat, Total Energies, L'Oreal, Renault, Valeo, EDF, and ATR. The visit includes the India-France Business Round Table and the India-France CEO Forum. These platforms will foster dialogue between leading industry stakeholders from both countries. In addition, the minister will participate in the informal gathering of WTO ministers at the margins of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. He will engage with global counterparts at this crucial forum on key multilateral trade issues and present India's priorities and perspectives. During his visit, Goyal will hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings with key international partners. (ANI)
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Piyush Goyal discusses opportunities in Indian shipping sector with S'pore
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday held a meeting with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and discussed ways to boost economic ties and huge opportunities in the Indian shipping sector. Goyal is here on an official visit to meet French leaders and businesses to host trade and investments between the two countries. In the last three-days, the minister has held a series of meetings with top CEOs and ministers, including International Energy Agency ED Fatih Birol, Nigeria's trade minister Jumoke Oduwole, French minister of economy and finance Eric Lombard, automotive supplier company Valeo Group CEO Christophe Perilat, and L'Oreal Groupe CEO Nicolas Hieronimus and highlighted huge investment opportunities in India. Goyal, in a post on X, said that he held a meeting with Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry. Met H.E. Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry @MTI_Sg. Discussed enhancing our bilateral trade & investment ties. Also, Highlighted the tremendous opportunities India offers across various sectors especially in the shipping… — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) June 3, 2025 "Discussed enhancing our bilateral trade & investment ties. Also, highlighted the tremendous opportunities India offers across various sectors, especially in the shipping sector," he said. Discussions on the shipping sector assume significance as India is key to promote growth in this segment, as it will help boost trade and cut transportation costs for businesses. Indian exporters faced several challenges during the Red Sea crisis, with freight rates surging sharply due to high charges imposed by foreign shipping lines. The Union Budget has placed strong impetus to realise the huge potential of India's shipping sector. The Budget proposed to set up the Maritime Development Fund (MDF) to support India's Maritime sector by providing financial assistance, via equity or debt securities. This fund will directly benefit financing for ship acquisition. It aims at boosting Indian flagged ships' share in the global cargo volume up to 20 per cent by 2047. Further, the indigenous fleet will reduce the dependability of foreign ships, improve the Balance of Payment and secure the Strategic interests of the country. By 2030, MDF is aiming at generating up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore investment in the shipping sector.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Piyush Goyal discusses opportunities in Indian shipping sector with Singapore
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday held a meeting with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and discussed ways to boost economic ties and huge opportunities in the Indian shipping sector Goyal is here on an official visit to meet French leaders and businesses to host trade and investments between the two the last three-days, the minister has held a series of meetings with top CEOs and ministers, including International Energy Agency ED Fatih Birol, Nigeria's trade minister Jumoke Oduwole, French minister of economy and finance Eric Lombard, automotive supplier company Valeo Group CEO Christophe Perilat, and L'Oreal Groupe CEO Nicolas Hieronimus and highlighted huge investment opportunities in in a post on X, said that he held a meeting with Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry."Discussed enhancing our bilateral trade & investment ties. Also, highlighted the tremendous opportunities India offers across various sectors, especially in the shipping sector," he on the shipping sector assume significance as India is key to promote growth in this segment, as it will help boost trade and cut transportation costs for exporters faced several challenges during the Red Sea crisis, with freight rates surging sharply due to high charges imposed by foreign shipping Union Budget has placed strong impetus to realise the huge potential of India's shipping sector. The Budget proposed to set up the Maritime Development Fund (MDF) to support India's Maritime sector by providing financial assistance, via equity or debt securities. This fund will directly benefit financing for ship aims at boosting Indian flagged ships' share in the global cargo volume up to 20 per cent by the indigenous fleet will reduce the dependability of foreign ships, improve the Balance of Payment and secure the Strategic interests of the country. By 2030, MDF is aiming at generating up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore investment in the shipping sector.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I was sick of my plain bedroom so used an £18 B&Q buy to make a DIY panel wall – there's no cutting to size or drilling
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DIY enthusiast has shared how she gave her plain white bedroom a mega makeover without breaking the bank. So if your bedroom could do with an upgrade but your purse is feeling tighter than ever before, then you've come to the right place and will need to check this out. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 A content creator has proudly revealed how she added style to her bedroom whilst staying on a budget Credit: Instagram/@mrs_roobottom_home 2 Samantha Roobottom shared step-by-step information of the process, leaving many totally stunned Credit: Instagram/@mrs_roobottom_home Samantha Roobottom, a digital content creator from the UK, has revealed the £18 buy from B&Q that she used to turn her home from drab to fab. The brunette, who has 216,000 Instagram followers and often shares handy DIY tips and tricks online, recently uploaded a short clip revealing a before and after look thanks to the purse-friendly panelling kits. Alongside the post, Samantha confirmed: 'I used two of the B&Q £18 panelling kits plus two trim pieces which were £5 each (also B&Q).' Samantha then shared a step-by-step process of creating her DIY panel wall, which involved zero cutting it to size or drilling. Instead, Samantha simply attached the pre-cut MDF with 'no nails', filled in any gaps with filler and caulk and added a decorative trim for a polished look. Following this, she gave it a light sand and used an MDF primer. To complete the wall feature, she then gave it a lick of paint with Hardwick White by Farrow and Ball. Thrilled with her home's makeover, the influencer shared: 'It's made such a difference and I love the colour it's painted in. 'My biggest regret is not adding this sooner!' Not only this, but she also beamed: 'I love how the trim really finishes the top off - makes it feel so neat.' I saved £562 panelling over my damaged fireplace with DIY - a £38 paint made it really pop DIY fans react The short clip, which was posted under the username @mrs_roobottom_home, has clearly impressed many, as it has quickly gone viral and racked up 1.9 million views. Not only this but it's also amassed 8,260 likes and 291 comments. Looks amazing and I love the colour Instagram user DIY fans eagerly raced to the comments to compliment Samantha's room overhaul, which many described as "beautiful". One person said: 'Love these kits, they're so good!!' Eight Easy DIY Tips & Tricks The ultimate guide for homeowners and renters: DIY expert's lazy painting hack will make decorating your home much easier Save time and money with this easy DIY tiling hack to transform a room in under an hour Avoid these five mistakes in your next DIY project Transform your kitchen with this renter-friendly DIY hack Noisy neighbours? Here's how to soundproof a room DIY expert shared her favourite strategy for painting around glass without tape If you want to give your kitchen a fresh look, here's how to paint your kitchen cabinets Five tricks to spruce up every room in your home for less than £5 Another added: 'Looks amazing and I love the colour.' A third commented: 'Love it!' Not only this, but someone else chimed in and wrote: 'Beautiful job.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club
