Charges laid after allegations thousands of litres of raw sewage discharged near stream from Auckland golf resort

Locals living near Formosa say the effluent is being pumped towards a stream.

Three people are facing charges over allegations that thousands of litres of raw sewage was discharged from a popular Auckland golf resort.

Hidden camera footage supplied to 1 NEWS earlier this year showed a person at Formosa Golf Resort in Beachlands, in the act of pumping wastewater out of tanks on site, down a bank towards a waterway, which flows out at a nearby beach.

The camera captured the act more than once.

Auckland Council has filed a total of 17 over the saga, which is believed to have been ongoing for years.

But Auckland Council didn’t visit the resort for five years, 1 NEWS has found.

Documents obtained from the Council in July showed the resort’s wastewater issues dated back to 2013.

In a statement the Council’s Regulatory Compliance manager, Steve Pearce, says those facing charges will appear in court in January.

"These cases are prosecuted under the RMA and can carry a maximum penalty on conviction of 2-year’s imprisonment for an individual or a $300,000 fine, or a $600,000 fine for a company," he said.

"We take a graduated approach to enforcement, however where there are serious effects from non-compliance and the council's requests are ignored we will take offenders to court".

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