UPDATED: 5.07PM Te Mata Mushroom Company has been fined $15,000 for failing to fix an odour problem at its Havelock North factory.

The company pleaded guilty in the Hastings District Court this morning to a charge of discharging offensive and objectionable odour.

The Te Mata Mushroom Company was also issued with an enforcement order to submit a draft of a new resource consent application by October 1, and a final application by December 20.

The new resource consent will include conditions addressing odour issues and ways it will be controlled.

It will also include ways the local community and the company will communicate with each other if issues arise.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said it was looking forward to seeing the plans by Te Mata Mushrooms to solve the odour problem.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Manager of Resource Use, Wayne Wright said today’s outcome highlighted the seriousness of failing to comply with the conditions of a resource consent and the importance of council pursuing a prosecution for the breach.

“HBRC is not in the business of putting people out of business but, as the regulator, it must carefully balance the economic needs of the region, with the rights of local residents to have an enjoyable environment to live in,” Mr Wright said.

He said the odour issue would be fixed immediately but the new consent application would be notified and the community would have an opportunity to have it’s say on the issue and have input into the process of granting the new resource consent for Te Mata Mushrooms.

“We are looking forward to seeing the detail of plans associated with the control of odour at its Brookvale site in line with the enforcement order issued.”

A woman who moved into a nearby subdivision in December says they can put up with the smell.

"The mushroom farm was here a long long time before the new subdivision was, so I think you're going to buy in this area you should have done your homework."