Three companies have been ordered to pay more than half-a-million dollars after pleading guilty to Resource Management Act breaches linked to a devastating landslip that inundated Reavers Lane in Queenstown, forcing dozens of residents to flee their homes.
Skyline Enterprises, Naylor Love Central Otago and Wilsons Contractors were sentenced in the Christchurch District Court for their roles in improperly managing an earthworks stockpile on Bob’s Peak, which collapsed during torrential rain in September 2023, prompting the evacuation of 41 people and leaving 12 homes red- or yellow-stickered.
The court heard the offending was driven by commercial pressure to complete works, with Judge John Hasson describing the behaviour of all three companies as highly careless and condemning their prioritisation of expediency over community safety.
Naylor Love was identified as the primary offender, with no sediment or erosion controls in place, while the stockpile was also outside the consented and leased area. Fines, enforcement costs exceeding $200,000 and reparation payments were imposed, as residents detailed ongoing fear, disruption and property damage caused by the slip.
