The gas leak in the Maui pipeline north of New Plymouth has hit Fonterra and its dairy farmers hard.

The country’s largest company was forced to shutdown 15 of its dairy processing plants in the Waikato, Northland and the Bay of Plenty on Tuesday, creaming millions of dollars off the profit line, and causing grown farmers to spill tears as they dumped thousands of litres of milk into effluent ponds.

Gas supplies were cut from 5,000 commercial customers, from New Plymouth to Northland.

But by mid-afternoon Wednesday, a media release from Fonterra said that the company had been advised that gas supplier Vector was providing limited gas supplies to some Fonterra sites.

At that time Fonterra Managing Director Trade and Operations, Gary Romano, said it could be between 5 to 16 hours before those sites could start processing again.

However sites north of Auckland Harbour Bridge at Maungaturoto and Kauri , and also the Tip Top factory, remained closed.

Fonterra was receiving a limited supply of gas along with 200 other businesses, and Fonterra would have to restrict its use, Mr Romano said.