What is happening with freshwater farm plans?
Freshwater farm plans are required under the Resource Management (Freshwater Farm Plans) Regulations 2023. They were due to be rolled out across the country by the end of 2025. However, the Government paused rollout of the plans in 2024 to make improvements to the system.
Plans will still be required but the intent is to make them more workable for farmers and growers and proportionate to actual environmental risk.
We’ll keep growers updated on further developments.
What are freshwater farm plans?
Freshwater farm plans are a way for growers to identify, manage and reduce the impact of their growing operations on the freshwater environment. Plans need to be certified and audited with some information reported to the regional council.
Who currently needs a freshwater farm plan?
Growers and farmers with:
More information about freshwater farm plans is available on the Ministry for the Environment website:
This page was updated in June 2025