Environmental Health

Council’s Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) are appointed to promote and protect public health, and a major part of this role is to abate any conditions likely to be injurious to health or offensive.

Environmental Health Services

Hazardous substances
Liquor licensing
Inspection of retail food premises, camping grounds, hairdressers and saleyards. Registered premises forms and guides
Investigation of complaints relating to the following:
- Any offensive conditions or anything that may be injurious to health
- Noise
- Odour
- Vermin
- Sewage
Give advice concerning:
- Water quality
- Sewage disposal
- Food safety
- Pool water quality
Enforcement of the following Bylaws:
- Keeping of Animals, Poultry and Bees Bylaw
- Mobile or Traveling Shops, Hawkers and Stands or Stalls Bylaw

Please feel free to ring an EHO or make an appointment to discuss any environmental health issue. If the particular issue is covered by another regulatory agency then they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Contact the EHO for the area in which you live or work as follows (for calls outside of working hours please phone Council's 24 hour operator on 0800 732 732):

Eastern and Western Southland
Michael Sarfaiti
Manager - Environmental Health
Direct line: 0800 732 732 ext. 3191
Email: michael.sarfaiti@southlanddc.govt.nz

Northern Southland and Stewart Island
David Clearwater
Environmental Health Officer
Direct line: 0800 732 732 ext. 3190
Email: david.clearwater@southlanddc.govt.nz

Confidentiality of complaints made

If you have a complaint to lodge concerning conditions that may harm individual or public health, please be assured that your identity will be kept confidential. The EHOs rely on members of the public to a certain extent to bring health issues to their attention, and as such Council is legally entitled to refuse to release the name of the complainant under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, as it has done so in the past.