Discharging Farm Dairy Effluent
A resource consent is required for discharging dairy effluent.
Before you apply you will need to read
How to apply for a consent
Technical Information on consent requirements (below)
Application Form A
Application Form B
Please note that different rules apply to consents within the coastal environment governed by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Coastal Environment Plan.
Technical Information
The discharge to land of Farm Dairy Effluent requires a consent under Rules 14 and 15 of the Regional Resource Management Plan (http://www.hbrc.govt.nz/our-council/policies-plans-strategies/rrmp/) or Rules 20 and 21 of the Regional Coastal Environment Plan.
Application Requirements
In applying for a resource consent to discharge farm dairy effluent you will need to include
- An Overseer Nutrient Budget prepared by an approved provider. This is someone with a certificate in advanced sustainable nutrient management from Massey University or a certified Nutrient Management Advisor.
- A Massey Pond Storage Calculation. This can be run by a DairyNZ or Fonterra representative.
Without this, the application will not be considered complete and will not be accepted by HBRC.
Tukituki catchment – for discharges in this catchment, you will also need to consider the how Plan Change 6 will impact your activity.
Sensitive Catchments
The RRMP and RCEP identifies a number of catchments considered to be sensitive to the discharge of animal effluent. The catchments can be viewed on our mapping tool.
- - Mohaka River headwaters
- - Ngaruroro River headwaters
- - Maungawhio
- - Hatuma Lake
- - Tutira Lake
- - Heretaunga Plains Unconfined Aquifer
- - Ruataniwha Plains Unconfined Aquifer
- - Whakaki Lake
- - Tutaekuri River Headwaters
- - Tukituki River Headwaters
For any discharge proposed to go into one of these catchments, additional information must be included with the application to enable HBRC to consider the effects on the environment from the proposed discharge:
- A cumulative assessment of effects of discharges on the land, from both the proposed dairy activity as well as other activity’s which may impact on the effects of the effluent discharge. A whole farm nutrient budget can assess this.
- A discussion of the management of other activities which may have an impact on the effects of the agricultural effluent discharge. This can include examples where the farm is employing farm management best practices such as buffer strips, the use of denitrification inhibitors etc
Helpful Links
Dairy NZs Design standards and Code of Practice (PDF) is useful when considering the design of your farm dairy effluent system. This resource gives best practice advice for the collection, storage and land application of farm dairy effluent.
Application Forms
Application Form 'B' - Discharging Farm Dairy Effluent
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the farm dairy effluent application process, please contact the Consents Advisor, Annette Brosnan, on +646 833 8090 annette@hbrc.govt.nz
A resource consent is a legal document. Keep it in a safe place and check it regularly to be sure you are fully aware of conditions.
