Farm Environmental Planning

Develop a Freshwater Management Action Plan to help address government regulations for your pastoral farming business.

Who needs a Freshwater Farm Plan?

Under the current regulations, farmers will need a Freshwater Farm Plan if they have 20ha+ in arable or pastoral use, 5ha+ in horticultural use, or 20ha+ in combined use. These requirements are already in place in parts of the Waikato, Southland, West Coast, Otago, and Manawatu-Whanganui. Farmers will hear directly from their regional council when they need to get the plans in place.

What you’ll learn

Build the knowledge and skills you need to:

• Research and analyse regulations and consent requirements applicable to a farm business.
• Understand the effect of the four contaminants on water quality and ecology.
• Understand the implications of farm management practices on nutrient budgets and water quality.
• Develop a Freshwater Management Action Plan for the protection and improvement of your farm environment.

Who is it for?

The Farm Environmental Planning course is for managers, sharemilkers, contract milkers, and farm owners.

Course details

• Cost: Free
• Format: Short course: Four in-person workshops. Held in between milkings. Small class sizes (limited numbers)
• Qualification: Earn the Farm Environmental Planning Micro-credential (16 NZQA Level 5 credits)

Course requirements

To be eligible for our courses, you must be a New Zealand citizen, or hold a NZ resident visa, or a NZ work visa.

You will be required to complete an assessment to demonstrate your learning. You must bring a laptop (ideally) or device to course days to access course materials, editable documents, and assessments.