Netballer's husband fined over gorse

The husband of Silver Ferns netball shooter Irene van Dyk has been fined $15,000 for illegally clearing gorse from the couple's lifestyle block near Upper Hutt.

Antonie Christoffel (Christie) van Dyk, 39, of Kaitoke, was convicted yesterday in Porirua District Court on charges of disturbing soil on erosion-prone land by clearing the gorse and of diverting water in an unauthorised manner last year, the Dominion Post reported.

Irene van Dyk was not charged.

Judge Jan Kelly said gorse had been cleared from part of the van Dyks' property before work was stopped last November when the Greater Wellington Regional Council served abatement notices.

Van Dyk had hired a surveyor to work with the council and the contractor who had removed the gorse.

While he was away in December, the surveyor told the contractor to go ahead and clear the remaining gorse.

Judge Kelly said van Dyk did not know the work had been done until he returned.

While there was an expectation no further work would be done without van Dyk's authority, he had not clearly forbidden it, the court was told.

Council lawyer Tom Gilbert said that while some remedial work had been done on the property, more was needed.

- NZPA