We set rules in the Tasman Resource Management Plan around taking and using water. This includes irrigation and domestic water supply. Some activities are permitted without consent, but if a proposed take is not permitted then a resource consent (also called a water permit) is required.
Some rules restrict the amount of water that can be taken for certain purposes, and there are also National Regulations regarding the measurement and reporting of consents for fresh water takes above five litres per second.
31 - Rules for Water Takes, Damming or Diversion - 2020-12-19.pdf (pdf 434 KB)
Taking water from surface or groundwater may be 'permitted' and no special permission or resource consent is required.
We recommend you contact the water consents team to discuss your situation.
Read more about obtaining a resource consent
Under Rule 31.1.2.1 of the Tasman Resource Management Plan any person can take up to 5 cubic metres of water per day from either ground or surface water, except for in the coastal margins of the Delta Zone, the Hau Plains Zone and the Mārahau Zone.
31 - Rules for Water Takes, Damming or Diversion - 2020-12-19.pdf (pdf 434 KB)
In some zones, such as the Motueka/Riwaka Plains Zones, the Middle Motueka/Upper Motueka Zones you can take 10 cubic metres per day as a permitted activity (i.e. without consent). In the Aorere/West Coast and Upper Buller Zones you can take 20 cubic metres per day as a permitted activity.
However, these permitted takes have some conditions:
If you are going to access groundwater by drilling a new bore, you must get a resource consent to authorise the drilling.
This requirement applies even if your take of groundwater will be a permitted activity,
Find out about the rules for drilling bores in the Tasman Resource Management Plan:
Section 16.12 Bore Construction or Alteration.pdf (pdf 168 KB)
Resource Consent Application Form to Construct or Alter a Bore. (pdf 177 KB)
If you are seeking a new take of water for irrigation or another industrial purpose that will require more than what can be taken as a permitted activity (i.e. more than 5 cubic metres per day in most cases), you will need to get a resource consent .
Your proposed take could have several rules that apply, and may be a controlled activity or restricted discretionary activity.
If no water is available in your location and you will need to register on a waiting list for water to become available.
We recommend you contact the water consents team to discuss your situations.
In fully allocated Water Management Zones we will establish waiting lists to record, in chronological (date) order, when potential water users first register an interest in being granted a new water permit to take water. The waiting list approach guides the re-allocation of any water that may become available in the future in that zone.
If you want to register your name on a waiting list you must demonstrate that a need for water actually exists and, particularly in water-short areas, you must also adequately account for alternative water supplies.
Our waiting list policy specifies the process to be followed in order to establish priority for new water that might become available in a fully allocated zone. In establishing waiting lists, priority for potential water users is assigned according to the following criteria in descending order of priority:
Where no 'priority in time' can be determined, then priority will be assigned according to:
If water becomes available, the Council will:
A person who does not have priority can only otherwise achieve priority if they obtain the prior written approval of all other persons with prior registrations on the waiting list.
Lastly, the waiting list process is complemented by a prohibition on any application by anyone not in priority order on a waiting list.
To view the waiting list:
To download a registration form:
A $396 fee is payable with each registration.
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