Mahoe Dairies Water Permit Renewal
SLWP successfully managed a replacement groundwater consent for Mahoe Dairies in Lowther, helping secure irrigation water access in a fully allocated aquifer.
Case Study: Mahoe Dairies
Location: Lowther, Southland
Resource consents: April 2025
The Challenge
The resource consent (water permit) for Mahoe Dairies to take and use groundwater for the purpose of irrigation was due to expire, and thus a replacement permit was required. Mahoe Dairies water take is within a fully allocated aquifer.
The property operates as a cropping farm, with barley and grass-based pastures and the grazing of dairy cattle, making continued access to groundwater for irrigation essential for its farming operations.
Our Solution
Our planning team stepped in to:
Advise Mahoe Dairies about continuance rights (the option of exercising their existing resource consent while applying for a replacement resource consent).
Guide Mahoe Dairies through Environment Southland’s groundwater allocation limits (allocation volume and minimum water level cut-offs).
Prepare technical reporting on the hydrogeoglical setting and assessments on well interference, stream depletion and abstraction rates, this was particularly important in this case given the allocation status of the aquifer.
Prepare a Nutrient Management Report produced in Overseer® for the farming operation
Advise on activities that did not require resource consent, including assessing compliance with the Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes Regulations and the Stock Exclusion Regulations.
Prepare and lodge resource consents under both the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan (as a discretionary activity) and the Regional Water Plan (as a non-complying activity).
Review draft conditions and provide Council with feedback to ensure the conditions were workable for Mahoe Dairies.
The application progressed efficiently, with no further information requested by Council. Lodged in March, the replacement water permit – maintaining the same rate of take, scale and abstraction limits – was granted in April 2025.
The Outcome
The resource consent application was processed on a non-notified basis, and consent to take and use groundwater for the purpose of irrigation of pastoral and cropping farm land was granted without delay.
This enables Mahoe Dairies to continue operating (i.e., irrigate) with certainty around its authorised water take in a fully allocated catchment.
Need Help With Your Farm?
Whether you need a resource consent or to renew a current consent, a farm environment plan or a consent monitoring plan such as an effluent management plan, we understand farm systems and resource management. We work with you to understand your requirements and work through consenting requirements, providing a down to earth approach from first enquiry to final approval.
Contact us today to see how we can support your project.