New nationwide regulations under the Essential Freshwater package aim to limit this contamination by requiring resource consent for various land use conversions over 10 hectares.
Below you will find information on the types of conversions that are permitted, or require consent. This information is also summarised in the flow-chart diagram to the right
Download the flow chart here. (pdf 717 KB)
If you have any questions about the new Essential Freshwater regulations for agricultural intensification, please make direct contact with our Catchment Advisors via [email protected]
If you’re converting more than 10 hectares of plantation forestry to pastoral land use you will require resource consent.
Any conversion or intensification that happened before 3 September 2020 does not need a resource consent.
Any increase in the amount of land used for dairy support, above the maximum that was used between 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2019, requires resource consent.
For example, if the maximum amount of land used for dairy support at any time between 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2019 was 30ha, any use of land over 30ha requires resource consent.
Any conversion or intensification that happened before 3 September 2020, 30ha or less does not need resource consent.
If you’re converting more than 10 hectares (ha) of farmland to dairy farmland use you will require resource consent.
If you’re converting more than 10 hectares (ha) of non-irrigated dairy farmland to irrigated dairy farmland use, you will require resource consent.
If you're increasing the area of land used for intensive winter grazing above the greatest area used (at any one time) between 1 July 2014 - 30 June 2019, you will require resource consent.
Pastoral land use
Pastoral land use is the use of land for the grazing of livestock.
Plantation forestry
Plantation forestry or plantation forest is a forest deliberately established for commercial purposes that is at least 1ha of continuous forest cover of forest species that has been planted, and has or will be harvested or replanted, and includes all associated forestry infrastructure.
It doesn’t include:
Dairy support land
Dairy support land is land on a farm that is used for grazing dairy support cattle.
Dairy support cattle
Dairy support cattle are cattle that are farmed for producing milk, but are not being milked (for example, because they are heifers or have been dried off) and are grazed on land that is not grazed by dairy cattle.
Dairy farm land
Dairy farm land means land on a farm that is used for grazing dairy cattle.
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle are cattle farmed for producing milk and includes:
It does not include dairy support cattle.