Fairton LP Limited

Environment Canterbury has limited notified consent applications in Fairton, near Ashburton to change conditions to an existing groundwater take and use consent for irrigation and use groundwater for industrial and commercial purposes which include water bottling.

The consent application seeks to change the conditions of an existing consent, for a dairy farm, to take groundwater, reduce the area irrigated with that water, add stockwater as an additional use, and update standard water metering, efficiency and administrative conditions, for the next 15 years.

It also seeks permission to use the water from that consent for commercial and industrial purposes including water bottling for a period of 12 years.

The consent would take the water at the existing take rate, but at lesser theoretical annual volume than currently authorised for irrigation and stock water.

Environment Canterbury has limited notified the application to Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua, Te Taumutu Rūnanga, Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu on the basis that the proposed use of water is considered to adversely affect the mauri of the freshwater. It is considered that issue solely effects these parties.

Further information on the Resource Management Act and decisions to publicly notify, limited notify and non-notify consent applications can be found in our related article – RMA 101: explaining the consent process.