Water Take Consents for Primary Producers
Groundwater & Surface Water Takes
Straightforward help with groundwater and surface water consents, from the team who know Franklin, Waikato and Bay of Plenty growing conditions.
Taking Water For Irrigation?
Here’s What You Need To Know.
If you’re pulling from a bore or a stream for irrigation or frost protection, you’ll almost always need a consent under the Resource Management Act. Before any application goes in, the available water needs to be measured properly, and the effects on the environment and other water users need to be understood. It sounds like a lot, and it can be, but it’s a process we’ve walked alongside growers through hundreds of times.
Earthtech got its start helping growers in the old Franklin district secure their water rights, and that grower-first approach has stayed with us as we’ve grown. We now support kiwifruit orchards across the Bay of Plenty, irrigation supplies for some of New Zealand’s top golf courses, and dairy, horticulture and cropping operations across Auckland, Waikato and Northland.
Whatever the operation or catchment, our job is to take the technical side off your hands. We do the groundwater and surface water assessments, manage the drilling and testing, and handle the council liaison, so you can get on with running your property.
How We Help,
From First Idea to Consent in Hand
Every water take is different, but the process generally follows the same path. We work through each stage with you, and we’re upfront about what’s realistic for your site and your catchment.
Project Feasibility
Finding Your Water
Drilling and Contractor Management
Assessment of Environmental Effects
Council and Iwi Liaison
Field Investigation Expertise
Every investigation is scaled to the question being asked, from a single bore test to monitoring programmes running over a full irrigation season. Our field capability includes:
Pump Testing
Water Quality Sampling
Weir Monitoring
Stream Gauging
Water Permit Trading
As groundwater and surface water resources in the Franklin region reach full allocation, new applicants can no longer be granted water takes. This is particularly true within South Auckland Volcanic and Kaawa aquifers.
At Earthtech, we facilitate trades between consent holders with surplus allocation and new users seeking water allocation, providing a pathway where direct consenting is no longer available. Once a trade has been arranged, Earthtech applies to the Regional Council to transfer the water allocation from the existing holder to a new user. Trades can be arranged on a short-term basis (lease) or a permanent basis (sale).
Earthtech has established experience in both the Waikato and Auckland regions, facilitating trades ranging from long-term irrigation takes to short-term construction water supplies. Whether you have excess allocation you want to sell, or are looking for allocation in a fully allocated resource, get in touch.
Over 30 Years of Consents, and the Local Knowledge to Match
We’ve consented hundreds of groundwater and surface water takes across Auckland, Waikato, Northland and the Bay of Plenty, and that history means we already have a strong picture of what’s available in your area before we even visit the site. Our team covers the full process in-house, from technical assessment through to iwi consultation and council liaison, so nothing gets lost between specialists. For growers, that means one point of contact, a realistic view of what’s achievable, and a team that’s been managing water takes since well before today’s regulations existed.
“Earthtech is a reliable and quality partner who has helped us solve complex water requirements on many occasions.”
Russell Dunstan
Southern Cross Horticulture
Our Groundwater & Surface Water Takes Projects
Groundwater Take Assessment for Kiwifruit Orchard Irrigation
Project Summary The development of a >500,000m³/yr groundwater take for irrigation, frost protection and spray use for a large kiwifruit orchard. The water is supplied from two boreholes tapping the deep confined fractured ignimbrite Mamaku aquifer. Services Provided Desktop study of hydrogeological/hyrological setting. Drilling liaison and pump testing. Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). Development of a numerical groundwater model to assess groundwater pumping effects on surface water. Council liaison and iwi consultation. Project Conclusion This project secured groundwater abstraction rights, demonstrating that the proposed take aligns with sustainable allocation limits and regulatory requirements.
Groundwater and Surface Water Take Assessment for Dairy Farm Irrigation Supply
Project Summary The development of a dairy irrigation supply consisting of a groundwater take of 406,800m³/yr, from two production bores >100m deep which tap the Awhitu Peninsula Kaawa aquifer, and a run-of-stream take of 465,700m³/yr. Services Provided Desktop study of hydrogeological/hydrological context. Drilling liaison and pump testing. In-stream flow monitoring with a weir. Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). Saline Intrusion monitoring. Project Conclusion This project secured groundwater and surface water abstraction rights, demonstrating that the proposed takes align with sustainable allocation limits and regulatory requirements.
Talk to Someone Who Already Knows Your Catchment
No call centres, no account managers passing you between departments. You’ll deal directly with one of our senior water specialists from your first call through to a consent in hand.
