Plan Change 8 (PC8)
Plan Change 8 is part of the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan and proposes updates to how water can be used and managed in Canterbury, including enabling changes to existing water consents and supporting wetland construction.
Latest update: On 8 April 2026, the Minister for RMA Reform granted an exemption for PC8. This means it can now be considered by the Regional Council and progressed to public notification, or not, as they direct.
Plan Change 8 – key facts
- Water consents: Enables changes to how existing water consents are used (with conditions)
- Wetlands: Supports wetland construction for environmental and flood benefits
- Infrastructure: Removes barriers to infrastructure that intercepts groundwater
- Current plan stage: Early stage (not yet publicly notified)
What Plan Change 8 means
Plan Change 8 has two main parts:
Part A – Take and use of water
This would potentially enable people or organisations with an existing consent to take water to apply to use it for a different purpose (notably, this does not permit a change to water bottling), subject to strict conditions.
In the past, the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan had delayed some important infrastructure works because they involve intercepting groundwater. PC8 would seek to remove this unintended barrier to development.
Part B – Wetland construction
This is subject to strict criteria, but would remove some of the barriers to constructing wetlands. Wetlands can have multiple benefits for landowners, resource users and the environment, including:
- flood management
- enhanced groundwater recharge
- providing habitat for indigenous flora and fauna
- reducing nutrient loss to groundwater.
Timeline
Review: Plan Change 8 has been developed
Exemption granted: 8 April 2026
Public notification: Decision to notify (or not), in part or in full, has not yet been made.
Submissions: Not started
Hearings: Not started
Decision: Not started
Appeals: Not started
Plan operative: Not started
Next steps
Councillors will be briefed about the next steps in the plan change process as soon as is practicable. This is likely to occur in late April 2026.
Following that briefing (probably in the late May Council meeting), a paper outlining options for Councillors will be tabled for discussion so that a decision to notify all, or part of the plan change can be made.
If Council decides to progress PC8, the two parts of PC8 can proceed individually or together.
Changes to other plans
PC8 would require consequential changes to two other plans, the Waipara Catchment Plan and the Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan, both of which would form part of the request for an exemption.
Waipara Catchment Plan
Plan Change 1 to the plan proposes adding policies to the Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan (WCE plan):
- guiding the consent process on the interception of groundwater (including hydraulically connected groundwater) for the operation of infrastructure critical to the community
- clarify the relationship between the Land and Water Regional Plan and the WCP in relation to constructed wetlands.
Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan
Plan Change 2 to the Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan (HWRRP) proposes to:
- add provisions to the HWRRP enabling the change of use of water
- clarify the relationship between the LWRP and the HWRRP in relation to constructed wetlands.
Background and development of PC8
Water-related changes to several regional plans are collectively known as PC8.
Papatipu Rūnanga provided input while PC8 was being scoped, and through two rounds of feedback. A shortlist of industry stakeholders, environmental agencies and some non-government organisations (NGOs) also had opportunities to provide feedback. The draft was further refined according to this collective input.
More on PC8, its development and rationale, can be found on pages 41-47 of the agenda for the December 10 Council meeting (PDF file, 1.67MB). The provisions in proposed PC8 were shared as an appendix (PDF file, 245KB) to the above council meeting agenda.
Context: Plan Stop directive
In September 2025, Central Government issued a “Plan Stop” directive to all local and regional councils to avoid spending time and money on plan changes that may not align with ongoing resource management reforms.
Councils could apply to the Minister for an exemption, and a request for PC8 was made in December 2025 and granted in April 2026. The reasons for granting the exemption can be found on the Ministry for the Environment website.