5. Lodge my application

You must provide clear details of what you want to do and where.
The more information you are able to provide, the better understanding we will have of your proposal.
In particular, we require a map clearly showing the location of proposed works and a legal description of the site.

• The description will depend on the activity, but in general, we need to know:
• What do you want to do?
• How do you want to do it?
• Where you want to do it?
• When do you want to do it?
• Why do you want to do it?

We need to know where your proposed activity is related, in relation to nearby features.

For all applications:

• Is the property registered on the Listed Land Use Register?
• What is the distance to any significant environmental, historic or cultural sites?

You can check for these using the Canterbury Maps database and Canterbury Maps Biodiversity & Ecological database

Please also refer to the Ecological Criteria Guidelines. N.B. This report was prepared by Wildland Consultants under contract to Environment Canterbury and does not endorse this consultancy above any other for application of RPS criteria.

In general, for a new consent, you will need to: 

• Identify the relevant regional plan 
• Identify the relevant rules in the plan.

Your Assessment of Actual and Potential Effects on the Environment (AEE) will need to include:

• identification of any affected parties
• effects on the environment
• possible ways of avoiding, remedying or reducing any adverse effect identified
• possible alternatives to the proposal
• positive effects.

Read the Ministry for the Environment guide. Please also refer to the Ecological Criteria Guidelines (PDF file, 10.81MB).

Our consent search allows you to look at any resource consent document held by us.

Resource consents can be searched by number, holder, location, type and status.

Searching for existing consent applications for similar activities or locations can be used to identify how your application can best be written.

Pay for your consent application online

To pay for your consent application through internet banking or by credit or debit card, click on the pay now button below and you will be taken to Windcave (a secure third-party payment platform). Please ensure you have submitted your resource consent application before you pay for it through this platform.

Pay for your consent application

• This platform should only be used for resource consent application fixed fees or initial fixed fees (deposits).
• This is our preferred payment method as it allows us to match your payment to your application faster, potentially speeding up the consent process.
• Your payment information is collected by Windcave, which is our payment provider.  Windcave is subject to the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) and the Privacy Act 2020. Environment Canterbury does not collect or have access to your payment information, including credit/debit card details.
• If using a credit or debit card, Visa or Mastercard payments are accepted. Payments cannot be made using American Express.
• No additional card fees will be charged.
• If you need help making your payment online, please contact our Customer Services team on 0800 324 636

You can search consents.

Our well search displays a summary of information that we have on a specified well or bore.

Information about testing aquifers and barometric pressure corrections.

• Aquifer Test guidelines (PDF File, 1.21MB)
• Aquifer testing exemptions fact sheet (PDF File, 20.19KB)
• Aquifer test design - Self audit check sheet (PDF File, 17.17KB)
  
• Aquifer testing - Practice note - Barometric pressure correction (PDF File, 115.49KB)

Review of aquifer tests - submission forms

• Aquifer constant discharge test form (PDF File, 26.67KB)
• Aquifer step drawdown test form (PDF File, 38.1KB)

Guidelines and analysis tools for reviewing aquifer tests, for proposed consents or for compliance with consent conditions

• Aquifer test review guidelines (PDF File, 553.53KB)
• Manual aquifer test analysis tool (XLS File, 4.47MB)
• Aquifer test spreadsheet analysis tool (XLS File, 2.65MB)

Our groundwater Well Interference Assessment tool is a web application that allows you to create a PRN file directly from our well and resource consent databases. View instructions for the Well Interference Assessment tool.

The Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan allows consent applicants to use a model to estimate a seasonal volume that complies with Schedule 10.

Use a model that has been field validated and shown to reliably predict annual irrigation volume within an accuracy of 15 per cent.

The annual volume calculated using the model shall be complaint with the following criteria:

• an irrigation application efficiency of 80 per cent
• a system capacity to meet peak demand (half a litre per second per hectare)
• a nominal irrigation season from September 1 to April 30, and
• demand conditions that occur in nine out of 10 years.

Download the IrriCalc Guidance Document (PDF File, 59.29KB) for detailed information.

• Section 1 sets out the criteria and requirements for a model and its application to estimate seasonal irrigation water use and to set seasonal irrigation water use limits.
• Section 2 is dedicated to providing guidance on how to calculate a farm's seasonal irrigation water limit using the IrriCalc maps.
• Section 3 provides answers to some of the main questions associated with using the IrriCalc model.

This is an Excel spreadsheet for you to calculate an annual volume for a specific area of irrigated land. To use the calculator, you will need some specific technical information about your actual or intended irrigated area. Whether you already have an existing consent for the area or your interest is in applying for a new consent, the valuation or legal description for all relevant land parcels will be helpful. Alternatively, you can search by entering the name of an adjacent road. If you want to calculate the annual volume for more than one consent or if land parcels are geographically separate, you will have to run a separate calculation for each consent/land parcel.

You will need the following information from your pumping schedule:

• The maximum volume (actual or intended) per Return Period. Return Period is the time (in days) between successive irrigations.
• Length of return period (actual or intended).

To find this information:

• Check the consent details sent to you from Environment Canterbury or search using our consent finder.
• The instructions on the use of the spreadsheet show how to determine the maximum volume if it is not explicitly stated in an existing consent.

You will also need to know:

• the area (in hectares) to be irrigated
• land-use type (actual or intended) e.g. arable, intensive pasture
• Profile Available Water (PAW)
• effective irrigation season rainfall.

To find this information:

Information on Profile Available Water (PAW) and effective irrigation can be obtained using Canterbury Maps.

To use the spreadsheet for calculation:

• Download the Annual volume calculator analysis (XLS File, 61KB). 
• Keep the consent details, Canterbury Maps and the instructions (PDF file, 575 KB) open while you use the calculator.

Use the table on our site to find out about irrigation restrictions for a specific area.

We hold training workshops, produced by us in consultation with the earthworks industry, to provide practical advice about on-site measures. These will help you meet resource consent conditions and prevent waterway and dust-related pollution. With the help of our sponsors, Geofabrics, MBC and RST Environmental Solutions Ltd, we offer two training workshops led by Campbell Stewart. You can read more about him at SouthernSkies Environmental Limited where he is a director. Course 1: Introduction - For Earthworks Site Contractors

• Course date: as needed

This is a one-day workshop for those who are involved or interested in the building, operation, maintenance or decommissioning of measures set out in erosion and sediment control plans. This workshop provides a background understanding of erosion and sediment control methods and the environmental effects of sediment.

To register: erosion.sediment@ecan.govt.nz
Course fee: TBC

Course 2: Introduction - For Consultants, Local Authority Staff and Earthwork Site Managers

• Course date: as needed

This is a one-day workshop for consultants (who lodge consent applications for earthworks and stream works, prepare assessments of environmental effects and erosion and sediment control plans in support of these and who call for tenders for the approved works), site contract managers, local authority staff (involved with policy, consenting and compliance associated with earthworks and stream works) and those wanting a detailed working knowledge of erosion and sediment control.

This workshop provides a background understanding of erosion and sediment control methods and the environmental effects of sediment. Time is also spent visiting a greenfield development site and preparing an erosion and sediment control plan.

To register: erosion.sediment@ecan.govt.nz
Course fee: TBC

Conditions of training courses:

• The site visit is reliant on availability and is not guaranteed. We will always do our utmost to include a site visit but if situations arise beyond our control then this may not be part of the workshop.
• Registration confirms placement for attendee in the required workshop. If for any reason the attendee is unable to attend the workshop then a minimum of 48 hours notification to the workshop organiser is required. The ideal situation (should the registered attendee not be able to attend the workshop) would be that the registered attendee arrange a substitute to take the original attendee's place.
• Cancellation of an attendee outside of the 48 hours minimum notification without replacement will incur the schedule workshop fee.
• Attendance is limited to 20 people at each workshop.

Builder's pocket guide

People who are constructing houses on small sites or companies managing the construction of commercial sites can refer to the builder's pocket guide for small sites (PDF File, 1.78MB).

Erosion and sediment control guidelines

The erosion and sediment control guidelines is a set of guidelines for anyone involved with any type of earthworks on the land or near water—projects large and small. They provide guidance for minimising the adverse effects of erosion and sedimentation while planning, constructing and maintaining a project.

Click on Canterbury Maps to find irrigated areas. Instructions can be found here.