Use our tabled summary to help you get your head around where and when resource consents are required under the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 between now and 2023.

These regulations affect all properties that have 20ha or more of pastoral or arable land use, 5ha or more of horticultural land use, or 20ha or more of a combination of any two or more of the land uses. The only exception is where converting land for dairy farming land use, or planation forestry to pastoral land use.

Remember to give your co-op a call if you have any questions on 0800 100 123.

Nitrogen fertiliser

1 July 2021

No more than 190kg N/yr on any hectare of pastoral land (land grazed by livestock). You will need resource consent to apply synthetic nitrogen fertiliser to pastoral land where:

  • there is an average of greater than 190kg N/ha/yr across all pastoral land; OR
  • more than 190kg N/y

Intensive winter grazing

1 May 2022

You will need a resource consent if, prior to 1 January 2025, you are intensive winter grazing any stock on any annual forage crop, unless the primary purpose of that crop is to harvest as an arable crop or for seed, on land that:

  • Was not used for intensive winter grazing between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2019; OR
  • Has increased the intensive winter grazing area from the maximum area used in any year between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2019.

1 November 2022*

You will need a resource consent if you are intensive winter grazing any stock on any annual forage crop, unless the primary purpose of that crop is to harvest as an arable crop or for seed, and cannot meet all or any of the bullet points below:

  • The total area must be 50ha or less, or for properties over 500ha 10% or less; OR
  • Any land used for intensive winter grazing must be 10 degrees or less when measured over a 20m distance; OR
  • The grazing must be more than 5m from a waterbody or drain (regardless of whether there is any water present); OR
  • Critical source areas, between 1 May and 30 September, must not be grazed and must maintain vegetated ground cover which must not include cultivation or harvest of any annual forage crop.

In addition any person using land for intensive winter grazing must:

  • take all reasonably practicable steps to minimise adverse effects of any pugging that does occur; AND
  • ensure that vegetation is established as ground cover as soon as practicable after livestock have finished grazing that paddock. 

Information and records will need to be kept, and produced if request by the Regional Council, that demonstrate what practicable steps were taken and how those steps have minimised any adverse effects from any pugging that has occurred and that demonstrate the establishment of vegetation ground cover within a practicable time-frame.

Intensification of land use

3 September 2020

You will need resource consent if you are increasing dairy farming land above the area used for dairying on 2 September 2020 by converting more than 10ha of any land use to dairy farming.

3 September 2020

You will need resource consent if you are increasing pastoral land above the area in pastoral use on 2 September 2020 by converting more than 10ha of plantation forestry to pasture.

3 September 2020

You will need resource consent if you are increasing irrigated pasture for dairy farming above that irrigated between 23 September 2019 and 2 September 2020, by more than 10ha.

3 September 2020

You will need resource consent if you are increasing dairy support land area above the annual highest dairy support area used between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2019.

Feedlots and stockholding areas

3 September 2020

Feedlots will need a resource consent where:

  • more than 10% of the cattle are more than four months old OR weigh more than 120kg; AND
  • cattle are held for 80 or more days in any six month period; AND
  • stock are hand or mechanically fed.

1 July 2021

Stockholding areas will need a resource consent where:

  • more than 10% of the cattle are more than four months old OR weigh more than 120kg; AND
  • the area is not sealed; OR
  • all effluent is not collected, stored, and disposed of in accordance with the Regional Plan or a resource consent; OR
  • they are less than 50m from any water body, bore, drain or coastal marine area.

NOTE:

*For 2022 some farmers will be able to carry out intensive winter grazing as an existing use. This means that you will have an additional six months to apply, for your resource consent, so 1 May 2023 instead of 1 November 2022. For existing use rights to apply your intensive winter grazing activity needs to be a permitted activity in your region and the character, scale and intensity need to be the same or similar for 2022/23 as it was in 2021/22.

For example, if in 2021/22 you set stock grazed sheep on 20ha of kale but in 2022/23 you are going to either increase your intensive winter grazing area or break-feed bulls on your 20ha of kale then you cannot claim existing use rights.

Please note, this summarised table does not cover all the activities set out in the regulations. There are other activities that relate to wetlands, such as vegetation clearance or earthworks; culverts; weirs; flap gates; dams and fords. Where an activity occurs within or near a wetland or involves culverts, weirs, flap gates, dams or fords further advice can be sought from the planners in the Ravensdown environmental team.

Also if a more stringent rule exists in a Regional Plan it will prevail over these regulations.

 Nitrogen fertiliser cap summary Stock exclusion regulations summary