A Hawke's Bay mushroom company has been fined over odour coming from its Havelock North factory.
Te Mata Mushrooms pleaded guilty in the Hastings District Court this morning and fined $15,000 for discharging offensive and objectionable odour.
The company has also been ordered to submit a new draft resource consent application which must include conditions to address the odour issues.
Te Mata Mushrooms has been operating for decades and was originally far from residential housing but new subdivisions mean houses are now just across the road.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which took the prosecution, said it was not in the business of putting people out of business, but as the regulator it must carefully balance the economic needs of the region, with the rights of local residents to have an enjoyable environment to live in.
It said the odour wouldn't stop immediately, but the new consent application would allow the community to have its say on the issue and have input into a new resource consent.