A farmer's guide to Farm Plans in the Wellington Region
Certified Farm Environment Plans are a practical way for farmers and growers to identify, manage and reduce the impact of farming on the freshwater environment.
This page will help farmers navigate the new rules and requirements for getting a Certified Farm Environmental Plan (cFEP) approved for your farm.
Who needs a cFEP?
Certified Farm Environment Plans (cFEPs) are being phased in across the region and eventually, all farms in priority catchments will need a cFEP if they meet the following criteria:
- 20 hectares or more in arable or pastoral use
- Five hectares or more in horticultural use
- 20 hectares or more of combined use.
Why do we need Certified Farm Environment Plans?
Healthy freshwater supports healthy communities, a healthy environment, and a healthy economy. However, freshwater quality is declining. It is being impacted by urban development, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and other activities.
cFEPs have been introduced to:
- Stop further degradation of New Zealand’s freshwater resources and improve water quality
- Reverse past damage
- Bring New Zealand’s freshwater resources, waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation.
At Greater Wellington we’re dedicated to enabling continuous environmental improvement on farms that is informed by catchment scale objectives and priorities. We’ve been helping farmers in our region with Farm Environment Plans since the 1950s.
Farm planning in the Wellington region has been focused on engaging with landowners in catchments with the greatest need, as identified through our Whaitua process. The aim is to implement Good Management Practices.
Our focus remains on enabling environmental improvement on farms within the frameworks set out by new regional rules and national regulations.
Certified Farm Environment Plans (cFEP)
The regional rules (the Natural Resources Plan) are designed to help protect the environmental values of our region. Farmers in priority catchments will need to have a Certified Farm Environment Plan that meets the requirements of our regional rules by the dates listed below (PDF 95 MB) .
| Catchment | Certified Farm Environment Plan completion date |
|---|---|
| Land in the Waitawa and Parkvale catchments | 30 December 2023 |
| Land in the Otukura, Mangatārere, Waipoua catchments | 30 September 2024 |
| Land in the Kōpuaranga, Makahakaha and Taueru catchments | 30 June 2025 |
Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFP)
Freshwater farm plans have been legislated under Part 9A of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the Resource Management (Freshwater Farm Plans) Regulations 2023 (the regulations).
They are a farm planning process that puts the health of the whenua (land) and wai (water) at the centre of farm decision making.
What is the difference between cFEP and FWFP?
We’ve been working hard for some time to ensure that our regional cFEPs are consistent with the national FWFP requirements to help prevent duplication.
The Government is formally pausing the roll out of FWFPs until improvements to the system are finalised.
Despite the formal pause on FWFPs, cFEPs are still required in your catchment.
For more information on Freshwater Farm Plans check out the Ministry for the Environment website.
If I have a cFEP, will I need a FWFP as they roll out in my catchment?
The simple answer is YES, but you will only need one document to meet both sets of rules. This is why we are trying to align the requirements of our cFEPs with the FWFPs.
If you are in one of the priority catchments and need a cFEP, you will still need to meet the FWFP requirements as they roll out in your catchment. We will support you through this process.
If you have any questions, please email us at farmplans@gw.govt.nz and we’ll get in touch with you.
How do I develop a cFEP?
You can develop parts of a cFEP yourself but will require a consultant to complete the plan.
You may already have a farm plan in place – perhaps with Fonterra, Beef & Lamb, or perhaps you have a Farm Environment Plan prepared by Greater Wellington. Your existing plan can provide helpful information to feed into your cFEP. Your existing farm plan, and work undertaken so far, will be integrated where possible, but may not be able to be certified as a cFEP in its current format.
Note: if you do the plan yourself you will need the risk assessment completed by a qualified nutrient advisor and the plan will need to be certified. Some certifiers are also qualified nutrient advisors, so if you need both, it is important to ask this prior to starting the process.
Find a cFEP Certifier or a Certified Farm Nutrient Advisor
Farm Environment Plan Certifiers: people who can work with farmers to produce and certify their cFEP.
Certified Farm Nutrient Advisors: people who can complete a risk assessment required as part of your cFEP.
A list of people who have been appointed to one or both of these roles to date has been provided below. This list will continue to grow as further applications are processed.
Handy online tools and resources to help you create your own plan
We’ve created some tools and gathered industry resources to help make it easier to create a cFEP. You will find a template and guidance document to help you create your plan.
We know these things can be tricky, so if you have trouble with any of this, please email us at farmplans@gw.govt.nz.
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Certified Farm Environment Plan - Guidance (PDF 1.1 MB) | This document provides guidance on what information to include in each section of the Certified Farm Environment Plan template available above. |
| Certified Farm Environment Plan Template (DOCX 732 KB) | This template makes it easy to compile the key information needed to create a Certified Farm Environment Plan. |
| Certified Farm Environment Plan - Landowner checklist (PDF 484 KB) | This checklist can be used to identify gaps in the information you currently hold and to see if you Certified Farm Environment Plan has addressed all the elements required under our regulation. |
| Certified Farm Environment Plan Map Legend (PDF 123 KB) | This template is for people who prefer to hand draw the elements of their farm on a map. Your Greater Wellington advisor can help you with generating a base farm map to use alongside of this template. |
| Certified Farm Environment Plan Example - Dairy Farm (PDF 4.4 MB) | Here is an example of a Certified Farm Environment Plan for a Dairy farm. This example can be used alongside the Farm Environment Plan template and Guidance documents. |
| Certified Farm Environment Plan Example - Sheep and Beef Farm (PDF 3.2 MB) | Here is an example of a Certified Farm Environment Plan for a Sheep & Beef farm. This example can be used alongside the template and guidance document. |
How we can help
We know this is complicated and we are committed to helping you have the right plans in place to support you through these recent changes.
We are able to provide you free information about your property including; aerial photography, soil information, slope and NZ Land Resource Inventory information.
Free online map building tool and instructional video
You will find the online map building tool at the following button.
We have created a 15-minute Farm Plan Map Building instructional video to help make this part of the process a bit easier. We recommend taking the time to watch our friendly staff member Josie, show you some of the tips and tricks for building your own cFEP/FWFP maps.
Still need more information?
See below the answers to some of our most commonly asked questions. If you want to find out more about farm plans, get in touch with our team at farmplans@gw.govt.nz.
Read some frequently asked questions
Opportunities for funding assistance
Greater Wellington offers various financial grants and incentives to support farmers with their environmental and conservation efforts. Here are some key programs available:
Protecting waterways and wetlands:
Funding is available for fencing, pest plant control, and eco-sourced native plants to rejuvenate waterways and wetlands.
Sustainable land use practices:
Financial support is provided for projects focused on catchment priorities and good management practices. Farmers can contact their local Environment Restoration Advisor for more information.
Erosion prone land protection:
The Wellington Regional Erosion Control Initiative (WRECI) offers financial assistance for poplar and willow planting, afforestation, native forest reversion retirement, and sediment control devices, supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Pest Control:
Discounts on pest control resources such as rat and possum traps are available, along with advice on controlling pest plants and animals. For further information on pest plant or pest animal control email information please contact pest.plants@gw.govt.nz or pest.animals@gw.govt.nz.
Find further information on applying for these funds
Want to become a Farm Environment Plan Certifier and Certified Farm Nutrient Advisor?
It's our responsibility to appoint certified farm planners (Farm Environment Plan Certifiers and Certified Farm Nutrient Advisors), and we are working with providers to get them in place quickly.
Want to become a Freshwater Farm Plan Certifier or Auditor?
In preparation for the Freshwater Farm Plan (FWFP) rollout in the Greater Wellington Region, we’re gathering expressions of interest for people who might like to become a FWFP certifier and/or auditor. This does not mean you have to become a certifier and/or auditor, however it will assist in our planning for resources when the time comes.
Get in touch
- Phone:
- 0800 496 734
- Email:
- info@gw.govt.nz