Freshwater Farm Plans

What is a Freshwater Farm Plan?

FWFPs are a tool designed to stop further decline in freshwater quality, make water quality improvements within five years, and begin to reverse past damage to our waterways. They will identify practical on-farm actions to help improve local waterways. These will depend on the farm’s location, catchment and local environment, and will provide a more flexible alternative to consents and one-size-fits-all approaches.

In time, Freshwater Farm Plans are expected to become the central tool for farmers to manage all freshwater requirements.

Under current regulations, all farms with 20 hectares or more in arable, pastoral or combined use, or five hectares or more in horticultural use will eventually require a FWFP. All FWFPs will need to be certified and audited.

What Canterbury farmers need to do

Right now, you don’t need to take any action. The rollout of Freshwater Farm Plans is currently on hold as the government works to make the system "more cost-effective and practical for farmers".

The government says this will involve working with the rural sector, iwi, and regional councils to simplify requirements and enable more local catchment-level solutions.

While FWFPs may still be some time away, you should already be planning and documenting how you manage risks to freshwater on your farm.

Much of the information that will eventually form part of a future FWFP you may already have above as part of your Farm Environment Plan, winter grazing management plan or other documentation.

The best thing you can do to ensure you're already well on your way to meeting the future requirements of a Freshwater Farm Plan is make sure your FEP is up to date and that you are ready for your next audit, know your consent conditions and be ready to show compliance, and to follow the Good Management Practices for freshwater.

If you have any further questions about FWFPs, send us an email or talk to your industry contacts. 

What are we doing toward implementing FWFPs?

We are currently working with regional governments nationwide, offering submissions and support to government as it works to rethink how Freshwater Farm Plans will be implemented.

While there is still some uncertainty about what FWFPs will look like, and when and how they will be rolled out in Canterbury, we are working behind the scenes to to prepare for them.

These preparations include ensuring we will be able to train certifiers and auditors, upgrading our digital systems to be able to receive and process FWFP data, preparing for a smooth transition from Farm Environment Plans (FEPs) to FWFPs, and working with catchment groups on what catchment-specific actions could be included in FWFPs.

Freshwater Farm Plans and Farm Environment Plans

Canterbury farms that don’t meet Permitted Activity rules are already required to have a Farm Environment Plan (FEP). However, FWFPs will be required for all farms with more than 20 hectares in arable or pastoral use or five hectares in horticultural use. This means many more farms than currently have FEPs will need an FWFP.

Unlike FEPs, FWFPs will need to be linked to the specific freshwater objectives for their catchment, described in a catchment context, challenges and values. Until FWFPs are rolled out in Canterbury, it is important that farmers with FEPs continue to follow that plan and focus on their next audit.

We’re currently working on plans to ensure the shift from FEPs to FWFPs is as smooth as possible, and we’ll be sharing more information on this page as soon as we can.

What you'll need to include in your FWFP

Your FWFP will need to include information on:

• your catchment – including values, ecosystem and community outcomes.
• risk identification and impact assessment – including the identification of critical source areas, plans for the management of fodder crops and wetlands
• actions to mitigate risks – including plans to strategically fence waterways, restore wetlands, and intensive winter grazing plans
• how you will meet regulatory requirements – including the synthetic nitrogen cap, intensive winter grazing rules, stock holding, wetland and stock exclusion rules.

We will provide a "catchment context, challenges and values" to support you to prepare your FWFP. This will contain the relevant material and data we have about your catchment to help you design your plan around the information above.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about how we're preparing to roll out Freshwater Farm Plans in Canterbury, email our team at fwfp@ecan.govt.nz.