Visit Shape Tasman where consultation relating to this plan change will be based.(external link)
Land and Freshwater Plan Change 84 has been refocused.
Ongoing delays and uncertainty with national freshwater regulation have been challenging for the Council and a decision was made on 9 May 2025 to pause the Land and Freshwater Plan Change (PC84) until clear Government direction and new legislation is received. However, Council has obligations under the Water Conservation Order (WCO) for Te Waikoropupū Springs and aquifer, as well as other priority issues to address that cannot wait.
As a result, PC84 will be refocused on freshwater protections to support the WCO. This change will put in place policy and rules to manage water and land use activities, and their associated discharges, in the recharge area for the Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer to help protect the flows and water quality at the Springs. It will also create a nutrient management framework for farming and forestry in the recharge area to help achieve nitrate reduction at the Springs.
Changes to the Resource Management Act in August this year prevent councils from notifying plan changes unless they are approved by the Minister for the Environment.
Tasman District Council has made a request to the Minister for approval to notify them. The requests were submitted at the start of September.
If Ministerial approval is granted and the plan change is notified, community members will have the chance to share their views and participate in the process by making formal submissions.
Further information on the WCO and workstreams to support protection of the Springs is available here.
Contact the team at [email protected]
The current Tasman Resource Policy Statement (TRPS) and TRMP chapters under review in this plan change process include:
Plan Change 84 (PC84) is being refocused to strengthen freshwater protections in support of the Water Conservation Order (WCO). It will introduce policies and rules to manage land and water use in the Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer recharge area, aiming to protect flow and water quality at the Springs. A nutrient management framework will also be established to reduce nitrate levels from farming and forestry.
Due to recent (August 2025) amendments to the RMA which introduced a prohibition on notification of plan changes by councils, PC84 is currently on hold. A request for ministerial approval to notify was submitted to the Ministry for the Environment on 1 September 2025. The Council is currently waiting for a decision from the Minister.
The key steps of these processes are summarised in the diagram below.
We have been discussing the land and freshwater plan change at various times with the Tasman community since 2020. Key outputs so far can be accessed below and a summary of each engagement round and a summary of feedback received is provided in the sections below.
Mountains to Sea Round 3: 20 October – 30 November 2023 – Environmental Outcomes
From previous feedback we have determined there are 17 values for freshwater that apply in one or more Freshwater Management Units (FMU) across the Tasman district.
Every value must have one or more environmental outcome linked to it. Because the first value, Ecosystem Health, has been split into its 5 subcomponents we have 21 environmental outcomes. The draft environmental outcomes also link to the long-term visions - when the outcomes are achieved, the vision is achieved.
This report summarises a range of responses received during the 2023 feedback period for each of the 21 freshwater environmental outcomes.
Mountains to Sea Round 2: 20 April – 30 June 2023 – Freshwater visions and values
A second round of engagement on the Mountains to the Sea (M2S2) consultation with the community and stakeholders on Visions and Values ran from 20 April to 30 June 2023. The purpose of the engagement was to gain more detailed feedback from the community on freshwater and coastal visions and values. Draft visions for each FMU were developed from the previous round of engagement (M2S1) and released on Shape Tasman to prompt further feedback.
Mountains to Sea Round 1: 1 November – 23 December 2022 – FMU, visions and values
In late 2022, as part of the engagement process for Aorere ki uta, Aorere ki tai - Tasman Environment Plan (TEP), we asked our communities for feedback on the document “From the Mountains to the Sea”- about Tasman’s freshwater and coastal environments.
This engagement sought feedback on freshwater and coastal visions, values, and pressures and to confirm whether the draft Freshwater Management Unit (FMU) boundaries made sense.
Tasman Environment Plan Round 1 October 2020 – TEP introduction and freshwater overview
The first round of engagement on land and freshwater was part of the wider Tasman Environment Plan - Aorere ki uta, Aorere ki tai engagement process. It ran for 10 weeks and included 21 community-based events. The engagement focused on what makes Tasman special as well as issues and opportunities. Read a summary of the feedback we recieved (pdf 4.3 MB).
Over the past several years council has worked in partnership with eight iwi from Te Tauihu/the Top of the South and Ngāti Waewae alongside Nelson and Marlborough councils as part of a collaborative group - Te Puna Kōrero ki te Tauihu (TPK). The aim of the group was to develop a shared understanding of how to apply Te Mana o te Wai across Te Tauihu and in each region, and to fulfil the requirements of the National Policy Statement 2020.
There are three documents that report on the outputs of this process.
This brings work on freshwater, especially the Mountains to the Sea engagement work on Shape Tasman to a milestone where it can be put on hold pending new National Direction on freshwater and related government resource management reform. While we are not seeking further feedback at this stage you are welcome to contact us on [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions.
Further information is available on Ngati Tama’s website here.
Efficiency and Effectiveness Evaluations
Over 2019 and 2020 Council staff evaluated the objectives and policies of the Tasman Regional Policy Statement (TRPS) and Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP). The purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the provisions contained within these plans. It helps us understand if the TRPS and TRMP provisions are doing what they’re meant to do.
The following summary reports are relevant to the Land and Freshwater Plan change.
Alternatively, view the full reports:
For more information contact [email protected] or phone 03 543 8400.
Helpful advice for the rural community on the Essential Freshwater Package can be found in our Rural Hub section.
