As climate change makes Te Taitokerau more prone to long dry periods, it is becoming more important to have plans in place to get you through the summer.

Water supply and storage is one of the things you need to think about, and you need to understand what the rules are if you want to supply your stock and your farm with water from a river, lake, or aquifer.

You can take freshwater from a river or lake without a resource consent as long as it is not likely to have an adverse effect on the environment and your total daily take is not more than 10 cubic metres, or 30 cubic metres for dairy shed washdown and milk cooling. However, there are some limitations. The rate of take must not exceed 30 per cent of the flow at the point and time of the take, and flow at the entry point of the intake structure must not be greater than 0.12 metres per second. Bear in mind that water levels are likely to be naturally lower during prolonged dry weather, which may affect how much you can take without having an adverse effect on the environment. If you want to take water from an aquifer, you will need a resource consent to install a bore.

Rules also apply to safeguard fish passage. For most rivers, the intake structure must have a fish screen with mesh spacing not greater than 3 millimetres.

We may ask you for information about the location of your water take, how much water you are taking, the maximum daily rate of your take, and what the water is being used for.

Depending on your circumstances, there may be other rules or limitations you need to be aware of. Check Northland Regional Council’s proposed Regional Plan Section C.5.1 or talk to your Land Management Advisor on 0800 002 004 for more information.

Constructing a small dam may also be an option to provide water for stock as long as the river you are damming is not wider than three metres, the dam height does not exceed 600 millimetres above the riverbed, and your dam does not reduce the downstream flow to below the minimum required under the proposed Regional Plan (see Section H.4.1, page 311). You could also construct an off-stream dam in a depression where water naturally collects as long as the permitted activity conditions are met. You will need to notify our Compliance team at least 10 working days before you start constructing the dam. For more information about the rules around constructing a small dam, check Section C.3.1.2 of the proposed Regional Plan.