Freshwater Changes Provide Growers With Greater Certainty

19 August 2026, NZ: The Government’s freshwater and resource management changes will ease immediate pressure on growers and give them clearer rules and certainty while wider reforms are worked through.

“At a high level, these changes are pragmatic and should give many growers a clearer path forward,” says Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) chief executive Kate Scott.

“Growers have been asking for practical clarity and a pathway that recognises existing lawful food production while the resource management system is being reformed.

“The changes should reduce immediate compliance pressure for many growers and support a more sensible transition, while retaining clear expectations around good management practice and environmental improvement.”

In the Waikato, the Government intends to defer the farm environment plan and consent requirements that would otherwise be triggered when Plan Change 1 becomes operative until 31 December 2032.

Growers currently operating lawfully as permitted activities under Plan Change 1 should be able to continue during the transition period without needing to prepare and implement a Plan Change 1 farm environment plan or obtain a Plan Change 1 resource consent.

“This should allow business-as-usual operations to continue for many Waikato growers, including existing commercial vegetable production activities that have lawfully expanded as permitted activities,” says Scott.

Future expansions of commercial vegetable production will still require consent, and existing controls on land-use change and intensification remain in place.

In the Horizons region, the Government has announced that growers will no longer have to meet the fixed nitrogen reduction targets or use OVERSEER modelling introduced through Plan Change 2 under the new controlled activity pathway.

Existing farmers and growers who do not already hold a consent will still need to apply for one within a year of Plan Change 2 taking effect. Under the controlled activity pathway, councils must grant those consents, although they may include conditions.

“Growers will still need to prepare a Nutrient Management Plan showing how Good Management Practices will be implemented to manage and reduce nutrient losses,” says Scott.

“We expect growers may be able to meet this requirement through existing industry assurance plans, such as the NZGAP EMS add-on, which would be a good outcome.”

For commercial vegetable growers, the removal of the 35 percent nitrogen reduction requirement is a significant improvement.

“It should make the consenting process more certain and less costly, while still requiring growers to show they are following good management practice.”

The Government has also released more information on freshwater farm plan changes. It has confirmed that only higher-risk farms will need their plans checked and audited.

Commercial vegetable production is considered a higher-risk activity.

The changes also increase the threshold for who needs a freshwater farm plan. For orchards, the threshold will be 50 hectares. For all other horticultural land uses, the threshold will be five hectares.

“We welcome confirmation of industry pathways, meaning industry organisations such as HortNZ will be able to provide certification and audit services for members through existing farm planning programmes, such as NZGAP EMS,” says Scott.

Meanwhile, the Government has also announced further amendments to the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill.

Changes include simplifying the Natural Environment Bill’s environmental limits framework by removing some resource cap rules and simplifying action plan rules.

The Government will also expand what counts as an existing use to better account for seasonal activities, with existing uses now including lawfully established activities carried out in the past 12 months, up from six months.

The definition of long-lived infrastructure will also be amended to include water storage and distribution, meaning a minimum 35-year duration will apply to permits for water infrastructure.

Proposed changes to sections 70 and 107 of the Resource Management Act would also give councils more flexibility during the transition period. Councils could allow activities to continue where effects are already occurring, as long as there are requirements to reduce those effects over time.

“These changes reflect many of the key issues we have been advocating for on behalf of growers,” says Scott.

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