Essential Freshwater: Action for Healthy Waterways

The Government  has announced its latest water quality proposals called Action for Healthy Waterways. Compiled within a package entitled "Essential Freshwater Package", it comprises a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater (NPS) and new National Environment Standard for Freshwater (NES) and also new Stock Exclusion regulations.

The Package proposes some major changes, above and beyond  those at current Regional Council levels on the management of freshwater,  with two main objectives:

1. to stop further degradation of waterways and start making immediate improvements so that water quality improves within the next five years.
2. to reverse past damage and bring waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation.

To learn more about it, see the documents and links on this page including our Snapshot of Essential Freshwater Proposals (see below).

In the Document Library section of this page there are a number of the MfE and industry documents around the Freshwater proposals if you wish to read further.

For those looking at preparing a submission, there are a number of options. Federated Farmers has prepared two templates, one which is a simple submission form to explain your position as a farmer with some guidance on how to do that and the second is a simplified version of the MfE online form, answering the specific questions they are looking for feedback on. There are 81 questions so please feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish to if you would like to go down that route (these will be available on the website soon)

Making a Submission

  

We recommend individual farmers focus on providing an overview of the impacts and investment at their farm level. We also suggest you provide details of any specific on farm actions undertaken to improve environmental outcomes.  These good farm stories are not recognised in the proposals, and central government needs to be made aware of them. 

We know this is a big ask at a busy time of year, but unfortunately, at this stage, this is the only chance to influence this regulation. 

We have developed two submission templates (below) to help farmers with their submission. The farmer submission form is shorter and has prompts on some key areas that would be helpful for government to better understand, there is a guidance document to use alongside it that will help you fill it in and work out some basic costs around fencing and planting. The second, MfE Feedback Questions, is a deeper dive into the questions  MfE have put into their discussion document. There are 81 questions in total but feel free to answer as few or as many as you feel necessary. With either template, email to consultation.freshwater@mfe.govt.nz   when you have completed it.

Our submission forms can be found here

Alternatively you can click here and complete the online MfE submission form or do it freestyle by writing a letter and email this directly to consultation.freshwater@mfe.govt.nz    

While you are completing the submission, we have a snapshot (below) we have pulled together to make sense of all the documents on offer. You are also welcome to look into the other documents and summaries provided by other organisations to inform your submission.

Mapping waterways in low slope areas

Waterways in low slope areas will have different fencing requirements under the new proposals. 

To find out what this means for you, click here to go to Federated Farmers map which has a measuring tool and the areas in the low slope areas highlighted as well as nationally recognised waterways. If you have trouble finding your address, search a local school or hall and scroll to your property from there.

Document Library

Stock Exclusion 360 - Tables Summarising Proposed Stock Exclusion Rules

Links to MfE Documents Online

Draft National Policy Statement for Freshwater  

Proposed National Environment Standards for Freshwater

Draft Stock Exclusion 360 Regulations

Or Download Documents Here

Freshwater Communications