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There are currently amendments being proposed to the low slope map which would include most of Chatham Island and large parts of Pitt Island on the map. The current map does not identify any land on the Islands as low slope land. The proposal would have a major impact on stock exclusion requirements. We will update this information when a decision has been made.
Stock activity can damage the bed and banks of our waterways. Dung, urine and sediment can also seriously impact water quality, the lives of animals living there and mahinga kai values.
New regulations under the Essential Freshwater package mean that stock must be kept at least three metres from our waterways.
This is being applied in a phased approach up to 1 July 2025.
The Stock Exclusion Regulations 2020(external link) apply to beef cattle, dairy cows, dairy support cows, pigs and deer, and are slightly different for each. The regulations do not apply to sheep or feral animals. The Chatham Islands Resource Management Document (CIRMD) also contains a policy to control stock access to waterbodies and must be considered alongside the new Essential Freshwater rules.
The dates by which each stock type must exclude from waterways are detailed below.
Note: the Chatham Islands may be identified as low slope land, although that is not yet decided.
The stock crossing provisions only apply to stock that are required to be excluded from lakes and rivers.
Stock can cross lakes and rivers if they are supervised and actively driven across the waterbody. Stock cannot cross the same lake or river more than twice in any month.
Where stock will be crossing a river or lake more than twice in any month, a dedicated bridge or culvert must be installed. Under the CIRMD, structures in the beds of lakes and rivers are permitted activities in some circumstances.
In addition to these rules, you will also need to comply with the rules in the CIRMD.
If you have any questions about the new Essential Freshwater regulations contact 03 3050 033.
Threatened species means any indigenous species of flora or fauna that rely on waterbodies for at least part of its life cycle and meets the criteria for nationally critical, nationally endangered, or nationally vulnerable species in the New Zealand Threat Classification System Manual(external link).
The new Essential Freshwater regulations apply to natural wetlands as defined in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM)(external link). Artificially made wetlands, dams and drainage canals are not classed as wetlands under the new regulations.
Note: The NPS-FM definition of wetlands includes the bracken-dominated areas that are not protected under the CIRMD. As such, the NPS-FM requirements are more stringent than those currently in place on the Islands.
