Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFP)

West Coast Regional Councils Pauses Implementation of FWFP Regulations

* West Coast Regional Council has paused the implementation of the Freshwater Farm Plans regulations until further notice

The Resource Management (Freshwater Farm Plans) Regulations 2023 (FWFP) were developed under s217M of Part 9A of the Resource Management Act (RMA) and have been in force since 1 August 2023. The purpose of FWFP is to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater by assessing the impact of a farm's impact on freshwater and developing a tailored set of actions within the context of the respective catchment.

According to the regulations, West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) must commence the Hokitika Freshwater Management Unit (FMU) FWFP regulation implementation on 1 February 2024 followed by South-Westland FMU on 1 February 2025 and Grey and Kawatiri FMUs by 1 August 2025.

WCRC has already completed the catchment, context, challenges and values (CCCV) development in consultation with Poutini Ngāi Tahu for the Hokitika FMU. It has been in the process of providing the training module to the national/regional training co-ordinator (AsureQuality) to train and certify the certifiers and auditors. WCRC was on schedule to implement the Hokitika FMU farm plans.

The Government has signalled it wants to simplify the current FWFP regulations, however, the details of the changes are not yet known. Given the current complexity and the high cost associated with the FWFP regulations implementation, any changes to the regulations could be substantial.

Under the circumstances, it is risky for the Council to continue with the implementation as any farm plan developed and certified may have to be changed substantially or the entire process could even be potentially redundant.

On this basis, at its 7 May 2024 meeting, the Resource Management Committee approved WCRC pausing the implementation of the FWFP until any relevant government notice or new/amended regulations.

What is a freshwater farm plan (FWFP)?

Freshwater farms plans are a form of farmer-led risk management tool.

At a basic level, a freshwater farm plan must:

• Identify the risks of adverse effects of farming activities on freshwater or freshwater ecosystems
• Schedule actions to be carried out in certain time frames to avoid, remedy or mitigate those risks.
• Describe how you will meet regulatory requirements, including the synthetic nitrogen cap, intensive winter grazing rules, stock holding, wetland, and stock exclusion rules.

Over time, freshwater farm plans are expected to become the central tool for farmers and growers to manage all their freshwater regulatory requirements.

Who needs a freshwater farm plan?

• All pastoral or arable land use of more than 20 hectares.
• All horticultural land use of five hectares or more.
• Any combination of these land uses equal to or greater than 20 hectares.