The Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (“the NES:F”) came into effect on 3 September 2020 as part of the Government’s wider “Action for Healthy Waterways” package (which also includes the new Freshwater Planning Process contained in the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020, the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and Stock Exclusion Regulations). This article provides a short summary of the provisions in the NES:F.
The NES:F imposes tighter regulations around activities which are deemed to be more high-risk in relation to freshwater and freshwater ecosystems. It imposes new:
Standards for farming activities:
- Conversion and intensification activities relating to land use will now require a resource consent. For example, converting more than 10ha of land to dairy farm, increasing irrigation on a dairy farm by more than 10 ha, and converting plantation forestry to pastoral land (more than 10ha) will now require consent. Horticultural activities are not affected in this way.
- Feedlots do not require a resource consent if 90% or more of the cattle held in the feedlot are no more than 4 months old and weigh no more than 120 kg. However, if this condition is not met a resource consent will be required. Feedlots will also be required to meet the stock-holding standards.
- Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers use has been capped at 190 kg/ha/year for pastoral farmers. Operating dairy farmers are also required to monitor and report to regional councils on the land, types, rates and dates which synthetic nitrogen fertilisers have been applied and provide receipts for the purchase of the fertilisers. These standards come into force on 1 July 2021.
- Winter grazing that is not undertaken in accordance with a certified freshwater farm plan is permitted where the area of the farm used for grazing is no greater than 50 ha or 10% of the area of the farm (whichever is greater), the mean slope of the paddock is less than 10 degrees, prescribed pugging depths are met, livestock is set back 5m from waterways and replanting of the land is undertaken as soon as practicable. These standards come into force on 1 May 2021.
Standards for other freshwater related activities:
- Natural wetlands – The NES:F prescribes standards for activities in or around wetlands. It specifically introduces permitted and restricted activity discretionary activities in relation to the restoration of wetlands and scientific research in to wetlands.
- Reclamation of riverbeds is now provided for as a discretionary activity, meaning all developments which require some form of stream works will require a resource consent. However, the standard does not provide any criteria against which the applications must be assessed.
- Passage of fish affected by structures – the NES:F imposes requirements in relation to the placement, alteration and reconstruction of structures in, on, over or under the riverbed which may affect the passage of fish. It requires certain conditions to be imposed on consents relating to activities that may affect fish passage and introduces a number of permitted and restricted discretionary activity classifications.
Following the release of the regulations in August, it became apparent that clarifications were required to some of the provisions relating to pugging (when stock intensively trample wet soil, the soil aggregates are broken down and the spaces in the soil are reduced, which can cause damage) provisions in in the NES:F. This resulted in some swift amendments being made to the regulations just weeks after their release.
While regional councils do not need to amend their plans to ‘give effect’ to the NES:F, they will need to ensure there is no duplication or inconsistency. The NES:F provides that regional plans are able to include requirements that are more stringent (but not more lenient) than the NES:F.
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Holland Beckett promotes two partners
Leading New Zealand law firm, Holland Beckett has announced the promotion to partnership of two of its senior lawyers, Will Dymock and Natasha van der Wal, effective from April 1st 2024.
The Bay of Plenty based firm has offices in Tauranga, Rotorua, Whakatāne and Taupō, and advises local, national and international clients. With over 140 staff including over 70 lawyers, the full-service firm\'s specialist teams work collaboratively and cater to a vast range of legal matters, including property, trusts and estates, commercial, corporate, finance, employment, family, civil litigation, resource management and local government. Holland Beckett also has a specialised Māori Legal Unit.
“It is a pleasure to announce the promotion of Natasha and Will, both experts in their respective fields”, says Ken Hawkes, Partner at Holland Beckett. “These talented lawyers represent the diverse capabilities we have as a firm, and the growth and strength of our team. We look forward to expanding the partnership with their specialist expertise”.
The promotion of Will and Natasha expands the partnership to 16, which is testament to Holland Beckett’s reputation as a top tier legal employer, firmly focused on recruiting the best talent and developing the next generation of legal leaders. The firm has the most female partners of any law firm in the Bay of Plenty, growing from two to five women in the past seven years.
Will Dymock, Partner
Will advises clients on a wide range of finance, corporate, restructuring and commercial transactions. Will has extensive international and domestic experience advising financial institutions and businesses (small and large) across a broad range of areas including asset finance, general corporate lending, property finance and corporate finance. Will specialises in aviation and asset finance and leasing where he advises international clients, including financial institutions, aircraft lessors, lessees / airlines and other aviation market participants, on a wide range of aviation financing, acquisitions and sales, leasing and lease restructuring. Prior to joining Holland Beckett in 2021, he spent six years in Singapore where he worked for two leading international finance practices, most recently as a Senior Associate in the global asset finance team at Clifford Chance. Prior to Singapore, Will worked in a leading banking and finance practice in Auckland.
Natasha van der Wal, Partner
Natasha joined Holland Beckett as a Senior Solicitor in 2016. Natasha’s expertise is focused on property law, commercial law and Māori legal issues. Natasha provides strategic and trusted advice on a broad range of property and commercial matters for individuals, corporate entities and local government. She has experience with complex property issues including subdivisions and development, the acquisition and disposal of residential, rural and commercial properties; and commercial leasing and licencing matters generally. As part of the specialised Māori Legal Unit at Holland Beckett, Natasha provides advice on Māori legal issues for local government, individuals, Māori trusts, Māori incorporations and post settlement governance entities. She is experienced with Māori property matters such as partitions, large commercial developments, iwi social housing and Papakainga. She has appeared before the Māori Land Court on property related matters. Outside of work, you’ll find Natasha supporting her children on the sidelines of their various sporting interests. She also promotes scientific literacy for children in New Zealand as a trustee of the House of Science NZ Charitable Trust.
Family Trusts Q&A Evening – Whakatāne
Come along to a free Trusts Q&A evening with Holland Beckett’s Trust Law experts Luke Stewart, Dan Broadhurst and Brittany Ivil.
5:30 to 6:30, Wednesday 22 May
BNZ Partners Centre, 181 The Strand, Whakatāne This free event is an opportunity for the Whakatāne community to get general guidance and discuss specific issues: Do I still need my Trust?
How easy is it to wind up my Trust?
If I keep my Trust what do I need to do?
How can I simplify my Trust? There is no charge for this session, and it is open to the public.
Please email Tiffany.head@hobec.co.nz or contact our Whakatāne office +64 7 308 8325 to indicate your intention to attend.
Holidays Act – could change finally be on the horizon?
Earlier this week the Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden gave a speech to the Auckland Business Chamber, reiterating her priorities following the conclusion of the Government’s 100-day plan in which Fair Pay Agreements were abolished, and the availability of 90 day trial periods extended to all new employees. The Minister has confirmed that delivering changes to the Holidays Act (“Act”) is one of her top priorities, which is likely to be welcome news to both employers and employees. Compliance with the Act has been difficult and costly for employers and payroll providers. The Labour Government put together a taskforce in 2018 to address the many issues being experienced by employers when calculating leave and holiday entitlements. The taskforce made a number of recommendations, all of which were accepted (for further details on these changes see our previous article here). A draft Leave Entitlements Bill was prepared, however was not introduced prior to last year’s election. The overarching issue with the Act is that there are multiple ways to calculate an employee’s holiday pay, and the Act has struggled to keep up with working arrangements outside of a normal five day a week salaried employee. Payments such as bonuses, commission, or if an employee works variable hours mean that the calculations are not straight forward and are often done incorrectly. The changes proposed were an attempt to simplify these calculations. The Minister has now confirmed that the changes recommended by the taskforce and the draft Bill will not be “simply rubberstamped” and will be subject to scrutiny as well as consultation with key stakeholders. She went on to say “if the policy is difficult to draft, chances are businesses would have a tough time implementing it too”. This indicates a major reset of the Act, and the changes which we had expected, could be on the way. Other indicated changes to employment law include a change to the rules surrounding contractors (with the Court of Appeal due to hear the Uber case this month (see here for our previous advice regarding this), we are likely to also have further developments in this area from the Courts later in the year) and changes to personal grievances. The Minister has asked for advice on whether an income threshold for raising a personal grievance can be set and removing eligibility for any remedies when an employee is at fault. The Minister has been very clear that she would like to receive feedback from the stakeholders who will eventually have to work with the Act and it is important that businesses use this opportunity to have a say on the Act. The majority of employers have struggled to achieve strict compliance with the Act due to its many complexities. Putting forward issues which regularly impact your business will ensure these can be given consideration. Our team will be closely monitoring this and will provide specific information on how feedback can be given when this information is available. If you require assistance with your current obligations under the Act, or would like to discuss providing feedback then please feel free to get in touch with a member of our specialist employment team.