Recovering from adverse events on farm

How to stay compliant during recovery efforts

We understand that quick action is often needed to protect animal welfare during and immediately after extreme weather events.

When going about the clean up and repairs, environmental rules and good management practices still apply under the Resource Management Act.

Key points to keep in mind:

If you are concerned about meeting compliance requirements, our customer advisory team is here to help, call us on: 📞 0800 324 636
Document the decisions you make and the work you carry out – we may need to see records/photos of what you’ve done.
Check your local council website/social media channels for response updates and need-to-know safety information that might impact your plans.

What's allowed when doing work in waterways

Landowners can do minor works in and next to waterways to ensure farms and stock are safe, water supplies are restored, and access is maintained.

We ask that landowners keep record of what they have done and email us photos of the work and a description. This can be sent to ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz

This work should be limited to:

water supply re-instatement
reinstatement and/or repair of culverts and bridges for access to stock and dwellings
removing debris such as trees, downed fences and other structures that have blocked or partially blocked the waterway
removing small amounts of gravel to restore waterway capacity
removal of silt and gravel from around properties/in paddocks
removal of ponded floodwaters
minor works to unstable banks such as removing overhangs to prevent further damage and blockages.

Works such as large-scale channel realignment, placement of rock riprap, stopbank construction, and major earthworks are not permitted.

If you are unsure, please contact us and we can assess the situation and provide advice and guidance to help you find a way forward.

Power outage guidelines

Downed powerlines can have major flow-on effects for farm operations, such as running pumps for stock water, effluent management and milking systems.

Treat all downed lines as live during outage periods.
Do not attempt to remove debris near power lines until safe to do so.
Power may be restored at any time or may still be on even if lines are down.
Stay at least 20 metres away from any downed lines and call your local power provider to check for power outages.
You can find a list of power providers and information on Orion's website.

Drinking water sources

Flooding and silt can affect the safety of drinking water. This can be due to changes in the water supply, contamination of stored water, damage to pipes, tanks, pumps, or through loss of power supply.

If you have experienced flooding, we advise boiling water and letting others who are on the water supply know to do this too.

Follow the advice of your district council. Information and guidance about managing drinking water supplies during hazard events can be found on the Taumata Arowai (Water Services Authority) website or visit the Health Ed website for information specific to bores or wells.

Stock access to waterways

Power outages may result in issues with regular stock water sources. In this instance, animal welfare is a priority and we understand stock may need access to waterways. Please try to manage this carefully to:

avoid environmental damage (where possible, choose waterways with gravel beds)
maintain instream ecology values
maintain awareness of downstream water supply and potential for contamination.

In some instances, stock may have access to waterways due to broken fences. Please exclude animals as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.

Managing milk and effluent waste

Please contact your milk processor directly for support and guidance around potential delays and management of milk following a weather event.
If milk is spoiled, it must be disposed of through effluent systems and irrigation systems only.
Dumping of milk or effluent into drains, waterways or onto saturated soils is prohibited.
If you are unable to dispose of your milk or effluent through your normal channels, or if your pond is at risk of overflowing (this could be because of power outage or infrastructure/irrigation damage or saturated soils) please contact us for guidance.
In all instances, avoid runoff or discharge to waterways.

Green waste and burning

When dealing with green waste, please follow the burning rules carefully and choose the right conditions to burn.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has its own seasonal restrictions and permitting requirements. Even if your planned burn is within our rules, be sure to check if it's an open, restricted or prohibited fire season. Visit checkitsalright.nz for details.

To report a burning-related incident, call us on 0800 765 588 (24 hours) or use one of our other reporting options.

Feed management

We provide considered support to those affected by adverse events and can offer on-farm advice including on the management of feed supply and nitrogen loadings in relation to Farm Environment Plan (FEP) requirements. Please contact our land management team for more information.

Where to find more information and support

Visit your local council's website for the latest updates and guidance on how to keep yourself safe.
Check our flood warning page for the latest flood warnings or visit our river flow and rainfall data pages during flooding events.
Visit MPI's website for resources to plan your resopnse to adverse events.
Find advice for when a drinking water supply is, or could become, unsafe to drink from Taumata Arowai.
Looking for industry-specific information? Visit the DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb adverse events pages.