27 September 2010
A Te Awamutu hairdressing business which has operated out of unregistered premises for more than a year is being prosecuted by Waipa District Council.
The prosecution was filed in the Te Awamutu District Court in mid-September with a hearing date set for late October.
Council’s manager, planning and regulatory Wayne Allan said the business continued to operate out of the premise despite a number of written reminders and visits from Council staff. Prosecuting a business is an absolute last resort, he said.
“We far prefer to work with owners and assist them to comply with the law, even though it’s their legal responsibility to do so. Our staff will bend over backwards to help people before considering a prosecution. We’re not here to make life deliberately hard for business owners but we do have to enforce the law,” Mr Allan said.
Government regulations require some business premises to be registered by local authorities, including hairdressers, food producers, funeral directors and camping grounds. The regulations cover a range of requirements, the majority of which aim to protect public health.
There are more than 240 premises in the Waipa district requiring registration in order to operate. Council is aware of 16 operating unregistered businesses – most either hairdressers or food premises.
Council would continue working with those businesses but was nearly “out of patience” with many of them Mr Allan said. He believed more prosecutions were likely.
“While the fine for operating an unregistered business is $500, an additional $50 fine can be applied for every day that a premise remains unregistered. That can very quickly mount up.”
Registered premises receive a certificate of registration that must be displayed in an area where it can be viewed by the public.
For more information, please contact:
Jacqui Humm
Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760
Email: jacqui.humm@waipadc.govt.nz