Have your say
We are seeking feedback on a proposed new regulation to set the information required for farm plans provided by Crown pastoral leaseholders to LINZ.
In our previous consultation and engagement with leaseholders and stakeholder groups, some suggested that farm plans could, in some situations, provide us with useful context when considering discretionary consent applications. While it is not compulsory for leaseholders to share farm plans, these plans may help us better understand the proposed activities.
Under the proposed regulation, leaseholders may provide an existing farm plan if it contains the necessary information, as set out below.
Read the consultation document for full details
This consultation is open from 5 December 2022 to 23 January 2023.
Proposed information
- an overview of the farm operation – vision, intention, risks and opportunities
- any boundaries of land management units
- proposed programme of development or activities over the period the farm plan covers, and how these will be undertaken
- any ongoing monitoring
- a description of any areas to be protected by any mechanism, or areas to be retired from pastoral farming, including the timeframe for these proposals.
- a description of how the lease or licence holder intends to satisfy any requirements under any other legislation.
Proposed form
- leaseholders or applicants may provide an existing farm plan (in full or part) to support a consent application if it contains the prescribed content proposed above.
Consultation document
Making your submission
See the Submission information and link to have your say
Sharing and release of farm plans
LINZ appreciates that leaseholders are likely to be interested in how LINZ will use, share or release a farm plan, if provided. As part of the consent process, LINZ may contract specialist service providers to provide expert or specialist advice. Depending on the nature of the consent and the relevance of the farm plan, LINZ will sometimes need to share information to the contracted provider(s), which may include information from a farm plan (in part or in full).
LINZ will only provide the minimum information needed to inform the advice and leaseholders should advise LINZ of any specific information that they do not want shared. LINZ will respect that request.
Any information provided to LINZ will be gathered, used, shared, or disclosed in accordance with good information and data management protocols. LINZ has information and data management obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Official Information Act, the LINZ Code of Conduct, and the Public Services Standards of Integrity and Conduct.
Once the regulation is finalised, LINZ will issue more information on use of farm plans.
Official Information requests
Information held by LINZ is subject to the Official Information Act 1982. This Act requires any information release to be assessed on its own merits. It allows information to be withheld from release for a variety of reasons, including for what is commonly known as ‘commercially sensitive’ information, confidential information and personal information.
If LINZ receives an official information request in relation to a consent application, LINZ will always engage with the leaseholder before any release is made. While leaseholders cannot veto the release of the information, leaseholders can state what information they believe should not be released and any grounds for withholding in the submission. LINZ will take such requests into consideration.
Read more information on the application of the Official Information Act
Submissions are public information
Please note, once consultation is complete, a summary report of submissions will be published on our website.
Submissions are also subject to the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). People can ask for copies of the submissions we receive under the OIA, and we must make this information available unless we have good reason for withholding it.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submissions from publication, please make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information.
More information: Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation