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Consents and Compliance

Compliance notification forms

New Zealand has more than 50 species of native freshwater and sports fish. It’s important that instream structures such as culverts and weirs are designed to allow for fish passage, so that fish can move upstream and downstream between different river and stream habitats and complete their lifecycle.

Culverts, weirs, flap gates, fords and dams installed after 3 September 2020 must meet minimum reporting requirements such as height, width and location under the Essential Freshwater regulations and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater. Culverts, weirs and flap gates must meet minimum environmental conditions for fish passage and may need a resource consent.

While the new regulations do not apply to instream structures installed before 3 September 2020, it is still important to ensure those structures provide for fish passage. There are options for remediating or retrofitting structures to help fish passage.

Under national and regional rules, the installation, alteration, maintenance, and removal of some structures is a permitted activity – and therefore does not require resource consent – only if you can meet the specific requirements.

The information specified in the regulations must be collected and provided to the relevant regional council, together with the time and date of its collection, within 20 working days after the activity is finished.

The Freshwater NES also sets requirements for carrying out certain activities within or within a 10-metre setback of a natural wetland and the harvesting of sphagnum moss. Anyone carrying out these activities will need to comply with the standards.

 

Related information

Essential Freshwater regulations
National Environmental Standards for Freshwater
Regional rules - fish passage and instream structures
Essential Freshwater wetlands factsheet

 

Notification forms

 

Culvert

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a culvert in, on, over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Dam

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a dam in, on, over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Flap gates

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a flap gate in, on, over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Ford

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a ford in, on, over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Natural Wetland Activities

Complete this form if you are undertaking wetland restoration. Notification must be provided 10 working days prior to the permitted activity starting. Read more

Sphagnum Moss Harvests – Postharvest Assessment

Complete this form if you have undertaken sphagnum moss harvesting. Read more

Sphagnum Moss Harvests – Preharvest Plan

Complete this form if you intend to undertake sphagnum moss harvesting. Harvest Plans must be submitted at least 20 working days prior to harvest. Read more

Structures and Fish Passage

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a structure in, on over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Weir

Complete this form if you are undertaking placement, alteration, extension or reconstruction of a weir in, on, over or under the bed of any river or connected area. Read more

Plantation Forestry Activities

Complete this form if you intend to undertake permitted plantation forestry activities (afforestation, earthworks, river crossings, forestry quarrying and/or harvesting) as defined in Regulation 3 of the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry) Regulations 2017 (NES-PF). Read more

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