Have your say on requested Southland Water and Land Plan modifications
Environment Southland is encouraging Southlanders to have their say on proposed modifications it has requested to parts of the Southland Water and Land Plan, through a public consultation now being run by the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT).
The Council requested modifications to three areas of the Plan following previous planning work, feedback and conversations with stakeholders and community members.
The changes requested relate to farm plan requirements for smaller landholdings, riverbed management for infrastructure protection, and provisions to enable the construction of wetlands and other water quality improvement activities. The current consultation follows an independent investigation into the request, which was commissioned by MCERT.
Environment Southland requested the modifications because councils are currently unable to progress plan changes through the usual process, and recent legislative provisions allow the Government to consider amendments to council plans through regulations where certain statutory criteria are met.
Environment Southland Chair Jeremy McPhail acknowledged the recent announcements about river management and farm plans but said the council's request aims to fix an immediate problem for Southlanders.
“The changes proposed by the Government could take some time to come to fruition, and we felt these issues needed addressing more rapidly.”
"Our proposed changes have the potential to affect Southland farmers, infrastructure managers, river users and others with an interest in how our land and water resources are managed. I encourage people to take the time to read the consultation material and make a submission."
The Ministry's investigation report recommends aligning farm plan requirements for properties between 20 and 50 hectares with updated national Freshwater Farm Plan regulations and enabling more proactive riverbed management where needed to protect infrastructure such as bridges and flood banks. It found the proposed changes for wetlands and other water quality improvements did not meet the statutory threshold to proceed, as the existing consent requirements were not considered to negatively affect economic growth, development capacity or employment.
The investigation report provides recommendations, but the Minister must consider both Environment Southland's response and the feedback received through consultation before making any decision on whether changes should be made.
Environment Southland is reviewing the investigation report and will be providing its own written response within the required timeframe.
"We welcome the opportunity for Southlanders to be part of this process. Hearing directly from those affected will help ensure the Minister has a clear understanding of the views and issues that matter to our communities."
People wanting to make a submission should do so through the submission form on the MCERT website. While the investigation report recommends that the requested changes to enable wetland construction and other water quality actions do not proceed, Southlanders are still able to submit on this topic.
Consultation closes on 14 September 2026.
