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The Prebbleton Action Group and the Prebbleton Environmental Association (also known as Sweet PEA)
Description
NameThe Prebbleton Action Group
Alternative NameThe Prebbleton Environmental AssociationSweet PEADescriptionFrom 1977 to 1995, two groups of Prebbleton residents, initially the Prebbleton Action Group and then the Prebbleton Environmental Association (known as Sweet PEA) fought to mitigate the smell from the site of the Meadow Mushrooms factory farm, located on Springs Road, in the centre of their village. This odour was caused by the manure and composting processes needed to grow mushrooms. Described variously as putrid, ammonia like, sweet and sickly, and rotten cabbage, it affected residents in many ways. Wet washing would take on the smell, outdoor events were forced indoors, and it dramatically reduced the quality of life of the community.
The Meadow Mushrooms factory farm was established on Springs Road, Prebbleton in 1970 when the then Paparua County Council’s district scheme permitted such a use on that land. In 1989 the Paparua County Council was disbanded and Prebbleton became part of Selwyn District Council.
The Prebbleton Community Association (PCA) was founded in 1974-75 to encourage social events, assist fundraising and protect the interests of the village, representing all residents. In 1976, the council enacted Scheme Change 4, which placed restrictions of factory farming on good farmland, which Meadow Mushrooms then sought to gain exemption from, to expand. In response, the PCA formed the Prebbleton Action Group (PAG) in 1977 to lodge objections to this expansion. They maintained that the Springs Road site caused odour, noise, vermin, dust and flies as well as negative visual impact and water pollution. PAG acknowledged that the mushroom farm re-used waste products (manure from surrounding farms and horse studs), and provided food and jobs for locals (part-time work harvesting and packing mushrooms), but their view was that the farm was in the wrong place, too close to a residential area. Meadow Mushrooms were unsuccessful in their bid to expand, and appealed the ruling. Lawyer Tony Hearn QC, an expert in town and country planning law, was engaged by the PAG to represent them for this appeal. In 1977 Judge Treadwell of the Town and Country Planning Appeal Board found that ‘the residents are fully justified in their complaints concerning smell’.
Over the next 12 years there were many court cases on the issue, PAG attending with Hearn, but for several of those years, the High Court appeal lodged by the company meant that no authority could take action and this meant there were no court cases. PAG was able to fund Hearn’s legal work through community fundraising with cake stalls, raffles, and donations. Frustrated at the lack of resolution, many residents gave up, and left the district.
In 1990, Meadow Mushrooms withdrew their appeal to the High Court, which meant that locals could once again bring their concerns to local authorities. That year, the PAG became the Prebbleton Environmental Association (PEA), later known as Sweet PEA, which had 360 paid-up members by 1991. It was able to use all the information collected by the PAG and had the support of over 90% of the local residents. They held meetings in the village hall, and in members’ homes: the wooden gavel was ingeniously mushroom-shaped. Sweet PEA then approached Helen Hughes, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE), for help. In preparation for her visit, residents collected data on the smell levels and property values as well as the history of the campaign and the many court cases.
While they were waiting for her report, Sweet PEA arranged for the Listener writer Bruce Ainsley to write a feature article about the smell issue (‘The Great Pong of Prebbleton’ November 18th, 1991). They also made an ‘Odour-meter’ to place outside the Meadow Mushrooms factory and produced a board game called ‘Pass the Buck (or the Smell of Money)’ about their experiences in campaigning against Meadow Mushrooms. Copies of the game were sent to all MPs, the Department of Health, and Selwyn District Council, which generated media interest. A 1992 presentation about the campaign to the National New Zealand Water and Waste conference by a Sweet PEA member won an award for ‘the paper with the most impact’.
Taking seriously the issue of odour as a pollutant, Hughes was dismayed at the way the residents had not had their concerns acted on over the then –16-year history of the protest. In her October 1991 report, ‘Odour Nuisance Control in New Zealand’ she made 21 recommendations, designed to strengthen standards, systems and processes around the identification, monitoring, reporting, documentation, mitigation and remediation of odour nuisance, also communicating with the affected communities. Recommendation no. 18 asked for Meadow Mushrooms to relocate their tunnel composting activity in a rural site, away from residential properties, and no. 19 asked the company to monitor emissions and communicate these to the local authority. No. 21 recommended that Meadow Mushrooms ‘support the formation of a liaison committee and actively participate by making relevant information freely available’. ‘No community should be allowed to suffer from nauseating odours for years on end’, the report summary concluded.
In 1995, once Sweet PEA had confirmation that Meadow Mushrooms were finally moving their composting activity to a rural site near Dunsandel, the group celebrated with a Fresh Air or ‘Post Pong’ party, held in the street. Sweet PEA was wound up in November 1995 at a public meeting which was well attended. Some residents wanted Sweet PEA to continue but the existing committee were exhausted and other residents were not prepared to join and continue the work. The 18 years of community protest against the odour and nuisance caused by the mushroom factory is commemorated by the human sundial and plaque in the garden on the corner of Birches and Springs Roads, a symbol of the extraordinary amount of energy, perseverance and human endeavour of the protestors in ensuring an odour-free future for Prebbleton.Start Date1977End Date1995
Alternative NameThe Prebbleton Environmental AssociationSweet PEADescriptionFrom 1977 to 1995, two groups of Prebbleton residents, initially the Prebbleton Action Group and then the Prebbleton Environmental Association (known as Sweet PEA) fought to mitigate the smell from the site of the Meadow Mushrooms factory farm, located on Springs Road, in the centre of their village. This odour was caused by the manure and composting processes needed to grow mushrooms. Described variously as putrid, ammonia like, sweet and sickly, and rotten cabbage, it affected residents in many ways. Wet washing would take on the smell, outdoor events were forced indoors, and it dramatically reduced the quality of life of the community. The Meadow Mushrooms factory farm was established on Springs Road, Prebbleton in 1970 when the then Paparua County Council’s district scheme permitted such a use on that land. In 1989 the Paparua County Council was disbanded and Prebbleton became part of Selwyn District Council.
The Prebbleton Community Association (PCA) was founded in 1974-75 to encourage social events, assist fundraising and protect the interests of the village, representing all residents. In 1976, the council enacted Scheme Change 4, which placed restrictions of factory farming on good farmland, which Meadow Mushrooms then sought to gain exemption from, to expand. In response, the PCA formed the Prebbleton Action Group (PAG) in 1977 to lodge objections to this expansion. They maintained that the Springs Road site caused odour, noise, vermin, dust and flies as well as negative visual impact and water pollution. PAG acknowledged that the mushroom farm re-used waste products (manure from surrounding farms and horse studs), and provided food and jobs for locals (part-time work harvesting and packing mushrooms), but their view was that the farm was in the wrong place, too close to a residential area. Meadow Mushrooms were unsuccessful in their bid to expand, and appealed the ruling. Lawyer Tony Hearn QC, an expert in town and country planning law, was engaged by the PAG to represent them for this appeal. In 1977 Judge Treadwell of the Town and Country Planning Appeal Board found that ‘the residents are fully justified in their complaints concerning smell’.
Over the next 12 years there were many court cases on the issue, PAG attending with Hearn, but for several of those years, the High Court appeal lodged by the company meant that no authority could take action and this meant there were no court cases. PAG was able to fund Hearn’s legal work through community fundraising with cake stalls, raffles, and donations. Frustrated at the lack of resolution, many residents gave up, and left the district.
In 1990, Meadow Mushrooms withdrew their appeal to the High Court, which meant that locals could once again bring their concerns to local authorities. That year, the PAG became the Prebbleton Environmental Association (PEA), later known as Sweet PEA, which had 360 paid-up members by 1991. It was able to use all the information collected by the PAG and had the support of over 90% of the local residents. They held meetings in the village hall, and in members’ homes: the wooden gavel was ingeniously mushroom-shaped. Sweet PEA then approached Helen Hughes, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE), for help. In preparation for her visit, residents collected data on the smell levels and property values as well as the history of the campaign and the many court cases.
While they were waiting for her report, Sweet PEA arranged for the Listener writer Bruce Ainsley to write a feature article about the smell issue (‘The Great Pong of Prebbleton’ November 18th, 1991). They also made an ‘Odour-meter’ to place outside the Meadow Mushrooms factory and produced a board game called ‘Pass the Buck (or the Smell of Money)’ about their experiences in campaigning against Meadow Mushrooms. Copies of the game were sent to all MPs, the Department of Health, and Selwyn District Council, which generated media interest. A 1992 presentation about the campaign to the National New Zealand Water and Waste conference by a Sweet PEA member won an award for ‘the paper with the most impact’.
Taking seriously the issue of odour as a pollutant, Hughes was dismayed at the way the residents had not had their concerns acted on over the then –16-year history of the protest. In her October 1991 report, ‘Odour Nuisance Control in New Zealand’ she made 21 recommendations, designed to strengthen standards, systems and processes around the identification, monitoring, reporting, documentation, mitigation and remediation of odour nuisance, also communicating with the affected communities. Recommendation no. 18 asked for Meadow Mushrooms to relocate their tunnel composting activity in a rural site, away from residential properties, and no. 19 asked the company to monitor emissions and communicate these to the local authority. No. 21 recommended that Meadow Mushrooms ‘support the formation of a liaison committee and actively participate by making relevant information freely available’. ‘No community should be allowed to suffer from nauseating odours for years on end’, the report summary concluded.
In 1995, once Sweet PEA had confirmation that Meadow Mushrooms were finally moving their composting activity to a rural site near Dunsandel, the group celebrated with a Fresh Air or ‘Post Pong’ party, held in the street. Sweet PEA was wound up in November 1995 at a public meeting which was well attended. Some residents wanted Sweet PEA to continue but the existing committee were exhausted and other residents were not prepared to join and continue the work. The 18 years of community protest against the odour and nuisance caused by the mushroom factory is commemorated by the human sundial and plaque in the garden on the corner of Birches and Springs Roads, a symbol of the extraordinary amount of energy, perseverance and human endeavour of the protestors in ensuring an odour-free future for Prebbleton.
Start Date1977End Date1995
The Prebbleton Action Group and the Prebbleton Environmental Association (also known as Sweet PEA) . Selwyn Stories, accessed 13/01/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5770
