Charging error identified

An error with charges relating to consents processed during the past two years has been identified.

There are cases where an additional $3 per hour was incorrectly applied and this could result in some applicants being due a refund. The error relates to an incorrectly applied inflation adjustment for the consent processing hourly rate. This means approximately 500 consent applications may have been overcharged. We expect the majority of refunds to be $30 or less.

Environment Southland general manager of corporate services Neil Selman said the error was identified following a cost objection by an applicant. A process has been put in place to remedy it.

Neil Selman said, while the final details were still being gathered, including a total dollar value, all potentially affected consent applicants are being contacted and notified that they may be due a refund.

“We are very sorry for this error. I’m confident the process we’ve put in place will identify the people affected and provide us an opportunity to put it right.”