Source: PISA results continue to show more to be done for equity in education
Changes in the regulatory environment for National Environmental Standards for Freshwater
The National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F 2020) temporary agricultural intensification regulations controlling the conversion of land to dairy farmland expired on 1 January 2025.
Before this date, under the NES-F 2020, consent was required to convert to dairy farming.
At the time those temporary restrictions on dairy conversions were put in place, the expectation was that regional councils would notify new freshwater plans or change existing plans, to manage effects on water quality.
Central Government has since introduced restrictions on plan changes that would have given effect to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. A replacement National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) is currently being prepared and will give new national direction on managing water quality.
While consent is no longer required for a change in land use to dairy farming, there are still consenting controls in place under the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) to protect the environment. Both existing and new dairy farms must hold consent for animal effluent discharges.
Farms may also require water permits for the taking and use of water in the dairy shed.
Applications for these activities still need to be considered through the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) process with a consideration of the effects of these activities on the environment.
A consent may also be required for the use of land for farming in general, but that requirement isn’t specific to dairy farming.
Farming and the environment
We know that water quality is degraded in some parts of Waitaha. This means we carefully consider all consent applications for the discharge of animal effluent to evaluate the effects of the proposed discharge relative to the existing state of the local environment. Every consent application is considered on a case-by-case basis following RMA process; we can’t pre-determine decisions.
The likelihood of a new dairy effluent discharge permit being open for public input (being publicly notified) and/or being granted will depend on the state of the receiving environment, the effect of the proposed operation, and the proposed mitigations.
For example, declining water quality trends in the area where dairy farming is proposed may require a consent applicant to demonstrate how the conversion will not worsen, or in some cases improve, local water quality outcomes.
If the likely adverse effects of the proposal are deemed to be more than minor, they will be publicly notified to give the wider community an opportunity to be heard.
