On 3 September 2024, the Government announced it will be pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised.
Minor amendments to the Resource Management Act (RMA) will enable the pause.
Once these amendments are made, farmers will not be required to submit a freshwater farm plan for certification while changes to the freshwater farm plan system are underway.
The aim of the improvements the Government is considering is to make the system more cost-effective and practical for farmers.
Parts of this page have been retired until details of the planned improvements become clear.
In the meantime, farmers should continue to follow good farming practices and be mindful of the ongoing importance of mitigating risks on farm that may impact fresh water.
Have further questions?
If you have any further questions about our regional freshwater farm plan rollout, please send them to our Primary Sector Support and Engagement team at pie@waikatoregion.govt.nz and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Knowing your catchment context, challenges and values (CCCV)
We are compiling CCCV information for each freshwater management unit (FMU) in the Waikato region. This information will help you to consider the unique environmental features, current environmental health status, cultural values/practices and important recreational sites of your catchment when developing your freshwater farm plan.
Middle and Upper Waikato areas
We are currently developing the catchment context, challenges and values (CCCV) for the Middle Waikato and Upper Waikato freshwater management units.
If you have any questions about catchment context, please email pie@waikatoregion.govt.nz
To ask for help or report a problem, contact us
Tell us how we can improve the information on this page. (optional)