Freshwater Farm Plans
Freshwater farm plans are a practical way for farmers and growers to identify, manage and reduce the impact of farming on wai māori (freshwater).
Farmers and growers in the Horizons Region are already making good progress in improving wai māori (freshwater). Many belong to catchment groups, have farm plans, and are working to mitigate the impact of farming activities on wai māori (freshwater). Freshwater farm plans will build on the good mahi (work) farmers and growers have done and continue to do.
Over time, freshwater farm plans are expected to become the central tool for farmers and growers to manage all of their freshwater regulatory requirements.
This webpage and associated links will continue to be updated as more information is available.
Who needs a freshwater farm plan?
All farmers or growers with:
50 hectares or more in pastoral, arable, or mixed land use
50 hectares or more of viticultural or orcharding land use
5 hectares or more in commercial vegetable growing or other horticultural use
A commercial dairy farm.
August 2026 announcement
An announcement from central government in August 2026 states that freshwater farm plans will apply to farming and growing activities that post the highest environmental risk.
All farms that meet the above thresholds - the ones in the Who needs a freshwater farm plan? section - will need to prepare and implement a freshwater farm plan.
Certification and auditing will focus on farms undertaking activities that pose a higher risk to freshwater. High-risk activities that will require a farm plan to be certified and audited include:
grazing dairy cattle
grazing pigs
commercial vegetable growing
the use of land for stockholding areas
intensive winter grazing on more than 50 hectares or 10 percent of a farm (whichever is greater)
irrigation of pastoral or arable land on more than 50 hectares or 10 percent of a farm (whichever is greater).
All freshwater farm plans will need to cover the whole farm, and identify risks to freshwater and mitigations. The certification and audits will focus on the high-risk activities.
A whole-farm certification will still be required where:
a freshwater farm plan is being used in place of a consent or permit
a farm is located within a catchment prescribed in regulations
a freshwater farm plan is being used to meet other regulatory requirements.
A farmer can also elect to have their whole farm plan certified voluntarily.
How is Horizons helping?
Horizons is here to support the implementation of freshwater farm plans. Staff are talking directly to tangata whenua, industry groups, catchment groups, rural professionals, and other organisations that will also play a role in the development of freshwater farm plans. We highly recommend you connect with your local catchment care groups and rural professionals for this process.
You can also call freephone 0508 800 800 or email FreshwaterFarmPlans@horizons.govt.nz if you need any information on these webpages clarified.
Essential information
Horizons developed training modules for freshwater farm plan certifier training. However, these modules are essential for anybody involved in freshwater farm plan development and will have a significant value beyond the freshwater farm plan system.
Catchment information
We hold a variety of information about our region's catchments. This includes specific information about catchment context, challenges and values (aka CCCVs). Understanding your catchment is not only a way to better understand the environment you live in, but is a key part of preparing a strong resource consent application.