Farm Environment Plan audits are back in Kaikōura and Hurunui-Waiau districts
Following a hiatus, Environment Canterbury will resume Kaikōura and Hurunui-Waiau district Farm Environment Plan (FEP) audits during 2026.
FEP audits assess how well you’re managing the risks identified in your farm’s FEP to meet environmental outcomes such as waterway health, soil management and protection of mahinga kai (food gathering).
If your resource consent requires you to do an FEP, we will contact you to advise:
- your new audit due date
- any changes to the FEP Auditing process
- on preparing for your FEP Audit.
Audits will be due six months from notification. Once you receive your new audit date, please contact a certified auditor immediately to book the audit from our list of approved Environment Canterbury auditors.
Notify us of your audit booking: Once the audit is booked, you’ll need to send your booking date and auditor’s name to fep.audit@ecan.govt.nz
Frequently asked questions
What is an FEP Audit?
A Farm Environment Plan (FEP) is a tool to help you identify the environmental risks on your farm and make plans to manage and mitigate those risks.
Your plan will be unique to your farm and consider the type of farming, operational practices and local environment. An audit assesses how well you are managing these risks on farm. Find out more about the auditing process.
Environment Canterbury introduced the Farm Environment Plan (FEP) and FEP audits through the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) to ensure farming operations meet environmental expectations.
FEP consent conditions were introduced in 2012 and are commonly included in Farming Land Use (FLU), Discharge and Water consents. Your resource consent describes what information should be in your FEP and is available via our consent search.
Why were the FEP audits paused?
The pause on FEP auditing was introduced in 2021 following the government’s review of Overseer in 2018. The review indicated that Overseer in its current form was not always reliable to measure nutrient loss from farms and the Government recommended that councils consider supplementary information when trying to understand total nitrogen losses.
What changes have been made to the FEP auditing process since 2021?
When monitoring nitrogen loss limits, Environment Canterbury now uses a wider range of evidence to identify potential impacts on nitrogen (N) loss to water.
To understand requirements for your farm, talk with your auditor early so that they can advise you on what additional information you may need to provide. Find out more about the Overseer requirements.
Why do I still need to do an FEP audit if the Government is bringing in freshwater farm plans (FWFP)?
The FEP programme has provided considerable value across Waitaha Canterbury, helping farmers manage and mitigate environmental risks, improve decision-making, and enhance the long-term viability of their farm/s.
The Government has made some changes to the FWFP process as part of the wider resource management act reform. However, the FWFP process has not yet been implemented in Canterbury, which means you are still required to undertake an FEP audit as a condition of your resource consent.
Freshwater Farm Plans will build on the work undertaken by farmers in their FEP process or industry programmes. Find out more about FWFP at the Ministry for the Environment website.
Will resource management reform change the need for me to undertake an FEP audit?
New legislation, introduced by the Government in December 2025, has automatically extended many consents’ durations. This is to allow for a smoother transition to the new resource management system.
The extension of consents includes the extension of the consent conditions, including FEP audits. Find out more about automatic consent extensions.
What happens if I have lodged an application for a new consent and I'm operating under RMA Section 124 continuance?
If you have lodged a replacement application for an expiring consent and are currently operating under continuation provisions under s124 of the RMA, your consent will be reinstated and extended until 31 December 2027.
If the expired consent is not subject to s124 of RMA, it will not be reinstated.
Where can I find more information about what is included in my FEP Audit?
You can find more information on preparing for your FEP, the pre-audit checklist, auditor list and auditor guidance on our FEP webpage.