Regional council regulatory services general manager Reuben Fraser recommends recording water use regularly and using Blue Tick-accredited contractors.
Fruit and vegetable growers in the Bay of Plenty holding pre-Resource Management Act water-take consents with the regional council have less than a year to renew them.
Around 350 consents, including 240 relating to horticulture in the region, will expire on October 1, 2026.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council regulatory services general manager Reuben Fraser said that to continue taking more water than provided for, under the regional council’s “permitted activity” rules, consent-holders need to apply for a replacement consent before this date.
To ensure these consent-holders can continue operating under their existing consent until a decision is made, replacement applications must be submitted by April 1.
Fraser said the regional council was working to automate and streamline the replacement process, where possible.
“By batching applications and coordinating consultation with tangata whenua, the process will be made more efficient and cost-effective.”
Consent-holders will be contacted directly once these processes have been implemented.
Fraser said “permitted activity” rules varied depending on the water source, whether surface water (streams and rivers), groundwater or geothermal.
The take and use of groundwater with a temperature of less than 30C, where the quantity of water taken does not exceed 35cu m per day per property, is a permitted activity.
This allowed minor takes of groundwater for any purposes ”that are unlikely to have adverse effects on the environment, and to prevent a proliferation of small takes on a single property that may have significant cumulative effects on a groundwater system”.
Fraser said the Resource Management Act allowed the taking of water for the supply of people’s reasonable domestic needs and the needs of their animals.
“A greater volume is permitted for groundwater takes than for surface water takes to encourage people to use groundwater and reduce abstraction pressure on surface water bodies (particularly small streams).”
For surface water (streams and rivers), the plan provides for up to 15cu m per day per property, and a maximum rate of 2.5 litres per second or 10% of the five-year low flow, whichever is lower.
Fraser said consent-holders were being advised to check whether they needed infrastructure upgrades, such as installation or verification of a water meter, setting up telemetry, or adding backflow prevention devices if fertigation was used.
“With high demand expected, early upgrades will help avoid delays with applications,” he said.
“With over 350 consents expiring at the same time, demand for technicians and equipment will be high.
“Upgrading equipment early gives you time to gather the required information and avoid delays.
“Accurate water use records will also be critical to demonstrate efficiency and support applications.”
Fraser recommended recording water use regularly and using Blue Tick-accredited contractors for meter verification.
Consent-holders are also advised to track their water use.
“Accurate water use records help establish that the volume you are applying for is efficient for activities on your site(s), something that must be demonstrated through the consenting process,” he said.
Before applying for a replacement consent, Fraser said those affected need to consider whether their actual water use is reflective of current consent conditions.
“Are there any efficiency measures that you could implement to reduce the rate of take and/or volume required for the activities at your site, such as water storage on-site?”
Following the Government’s announcement to suspend all council plan changes until new Resource Management Act (1991) replacement legislation and a review of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 are complete, Bay of Plenty Regional Council has paused work on region-wide freshwater and geothermal plan changes.
However, the Draft Tauranga Geothermal System Management Plan continues to be developed.
Fraser said geothermal water-takes had specific rules due to the unique nature of the resource, with most requiring a resource consent.
There are 172 consented geothermal takes in the Tauranga geothermal system – 73 for irrigation and/or frost protection and 98 for pool and/or space heating – with 33 up for renewal, including seven for horticulture.
Fraser said current levels of use were considered “sustainable system-wide” and should not induce excessive levels of cooling.
Most of the consents are for relatively small volumes, with about 25% of the geothermal water used for “non-geothermal” uses such as irrigation and/or frost protection for commercial horticultural crops.
Earlier this year, the regional council consulted on the Tauranga Geothermal System Management Plan.
The council’s Strategy and Policy Committee said further work was also needed to clarify operational matters such as preferred options for the management of discharges, metering requirements for geothermal takes, and efficiency measures.
Additional technical and engagement work (including working with iwi) was required to be undertaken by council staff before an updated draft system management plan went back to the committee for adoption.