Managing the use and development of highly productive land - Te whakahaere i te whakamahinga me te whanaketanga o ngā whenua whai hua

Closed 31 Oct 2023

Opened 5 Sep 2023

Contact

highlyproductiveland@mfe.govt.nz

Overview

The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sought feedback on managing the use and development of highly productive land (HPL).

Since the policy was introduced in 2022, two issues have been raised about its restrictions on the use and development of highly productive land for activities that don’t rely on soil.

The two issues that were consulted on are a lack of a clear consent pathway for:

  • Construction of new specified infrastructure on HPL in clause 3.9(2)(j)(i). Specified infrastructure can include developments such as solar farms and infrastructure needed at pace, for example to support the recovery after Cyclone Gabrielle. 
  • Development and relocation of intensive indoor primary production and greenhouses on HPL. 

Read the discussion document [PDF, 1.2MB]

Webinars

Two industry webinars and one public webinar discussing the potential amendments to the NPS-HPL were held in mid October 2023.

Watch the public webinar on Youtube

View the presentation slides [PDF, 1.5 MB]

What happens next

This consultation closed on 31 October 2023.

If you have any further questions, please email highlyproductiveland@mfe.govt.nz.