Government provides more time for Southland farmers.
The New Zealand Government has announced a move to give Southland farmers extra time to meet regional plan requirements. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard made the announcement on November 21.
Cabinet agreed to provide national timelines as an alternative to regional rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan, allowing farmers until mid-2026 to comply with regional requirements. This decision was taken after the national freshwater farm plan system was paused in October for improvements.
The move aims to remove uncertainty for farmers in the region who would have struggled to meet deadlines by the end of 2024. The change will apply only to Southland and is intended to align national and regional farm planning systems, avoiding duplication and unnecessary costs.
"This targeted change will support Southland farmers," Ms Simmonds said. "We intend to finalise changes to the national freshwater farm plan system by mid-2025."