Pastoral lessees need the consent of the Commissioner of Crown Lands before carrying out various activities on the land. These activities are called discretionary pastoral activities.
To check whether your activity is permitted, discretionary, or prohibited, see the applicable factsheets at: Helping you navigate changes to CPLA.
Pastoral lessees, licensees, and other users of Crown pastoral land need consent for other activities on or related to Crown pastoral land, such as commercial recreation permits, easements, protective mechanisms, or transfers.
The table below contains the application forms for the activities which need the Commissioner’s consent. If you have any questions about whether a proposed activity requires consent, or you are unsure what sort of information you need to provide, please contact your Pastoral Specialist or email pastoral@linz.govt.nz.
A new consents system came into effect on the 17 November 2022. The forms below have been updated to reflect the new consenting requirements.
Activities requiring the Commissioner’s consent, and relevant application form
To apply for consent, complete the correct application form and send it to your Pastoral Specialist or to pastoral@linz.govt.nz.
If you are applying for an activity you need to carry out within a certain time, we recommend you get in touch early in the project planning phase to avoid unnecessary delays.
| Activity and who can apply | Form | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|
| Burning vegetation | Lessee only | |
Clearing indigenous vegetation
| Lessee only | |
Felling, selling, removing, destroying, or burning timber or bush (excluding exotic pest plant species)
| Lessee only | |
| Cropping, cultivating, draining, or ploughing any part of the land | Lessee only | |
| Top-dressing or sowing seeds | Lessee only | |
| Planting vegetation (excluding riparian planting using indigenous species sourced from local seeds) | Lessee only | |
| Forming any path, road, or track on the land | Lessee only | |
| Creating new fire breaks | Lessee only | |
| Constructing buildings and infrastructure | Lessee only | |
| New fencing outside a cultivated paddock | Lessee only | |
| Clearing drains (except where the activity is a permitted pastoral activity) | Lessee only | |
| Constructing water storage infrastructure, including dams | Lessee only | |
| Spraying a slope to remove vegetation, and replanting the slope in stock or forage crops | Lessee only | |
| Undertaking any other activity affecting, involving, or causing disturbance to the soil | Lessee only | |
| Transfer of stock exemption | Lessee only | |
| Granting, varying, or revoking an exemption from any stock limitation | Lessee only | |
| To apply for a recreation permit | Anyone | |
| To apply for a recreation permit to film | Anyone | |
| To apply for an easement | Anyone | |
| To transfer a lease or licence (shares in a limited liability company) | Lessee / business partner of lessee | |
| To transfer a lease or licence (excluding the transfer of shares in a limited liability company) | Lessee / business partner of lessee | |
| To sublease or sublicence | Lessee / business partner of lessee |
Application fees
All amounts are GST inclusive and payable upon application.
These charges relate to the preparation and registration of documents by the Commissioner of Crown Lands.
An application fee will be invoiced by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand when your application has been submitted and accepted. Please make prompt payment. We will start processing your application once payment on this invoice is received.
| Application / Request | Amount |
|---|---|
| An instrument under section 60 granting or reserving a right of way or other easement over or under Crown land | $165 |
| A recreation permit under section 66A | $115 |
| A consent under section 89, ie a transfer, sublease or sublicence | $115 |
Application fees for a commercial recreation permit for filming
Filming on leased land for a half day
| Activity | Set up / wrap up | Filming | Contingency - No occupation | Contingency - Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone only | - | $60 | - | - |
| Photo shoot | - | $60 | - | - |
| <10 personnel | $125 | $250 | - | $125 |
| 10-50 personnel | $180 | $360 | - | $180 |
| >50 personnel* | $250 | $500 | - | $250 |
Filming on leased land for a full day
| Activity | Set up / wrap up | Filming | Contingency - No occupation | Contingency - Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone only | - | $120 | - | - |
| Photo shoot | - | $120 | - | - |
| <10 personnel | $225 | $450 | - | $225 |
| 10-50 personnel | $300 | $600 | - | $300 |
| >50 personnel* | $450 | $900 | - | $450 |
Filming on other Crown land for a half day
| Activity | Set up / wrap up | Filming | Contingency - No occupation | Contingency - Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone only | - | $100 | - | - |
| Photo shoot | - | $100 | - | - |
| <10 personnel | $200 | $400 | - | $200 |
| 10-50 personnel | $300 | $600 | - | $300 |
| >50 personnel* | $400 | $800 | - | $500 |
Filming on other Crown land for a full day
| Activity | Set up / wrap up | Filming | Contingency - No occupation | Contingency - Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone only | - | $200 | - | - |
| Photo shoot | - | $200 | - | - |
| <10 personnel | $350 | $750 | - | $350 |
| 10-50 personnel | $500 | $1,000 | - | $500 |
| >50 personnel* | $750 | $1,500 | - | $750 |
*Approximation only. For permits of 50 personnel or more, the fee will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.