Pressure to reduce winter time smog is fuelling criticism at rural land owners burning off horticultural waste, but doing so within the guidelines managed by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
There were tight rules around outdoor fires within the Napier and Hastings air sheds in an attempt to comply with national air quality standards to reduce pollution.
Te Mata Mushrooms, in rural Havelock North, held a controlled burn off on Saturday. Regional council staff visited the site to check the fire would be managed correctly and the site was not in the Hastings air shed. But when the fires were lit on Saturday, more smoke than anticipated was produced, and was visible kilometres away.
Reader Mark Todd snapped a photo of the fire and asked: "How can rural people pollute the air for days ... when the rest of us have been told to install new fire places and burn dry wood."
Te Mata Mushrooms owner Michael Whittaker said the company did all it could to make sure it complied with the rules.