Tip for the month..... Wetlands

Whether you’re looking at selling in the near future or not at all, wetlands can be and are becoming more and more important and in some cases an un-necessity and un-wanted when they are registered against properties.

So what’s the crunch?

Well attached are a couple of links to documents about what an “actual wetland is” as it’s not just a wet spot in a paddock supporting a few rushes… according to the Tasman Resource Management Plan they have to be “permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water and land-water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions” to be deemed as a wetland.

However the way the identify these areas are via satellite images so if it looks like it could potentially be a wetland, it gets put on record with the council as a wetland and registered against your farm and it’s up to you as the land owner, to dispute it if its not correct and then eventually, being the key word, they will send someone out to your farm, to look at the areas that they have identified as “wetlands or potential wetlands” and either survey the areas if they are correct and get an more exact area and size of them, or have it removed from records if it is just a patch or rushes for example that dries up every summer and is not deemed a wetland.

Does your property have any Wetlands on it?

Well a lot of property owners are also not aware if their property has potential wetlands on or identified within the boundary, so it may pay to check with the Tasman District or Marlborough District Councils as to what they have on file about your property and wetlands, before you start putting in your stock dam….

So what should you do next?

Well my advice is phone or email your local council and see what information they hold on your property in relation to any potential wetlands (and do this before you need it sorted) and if what you believe the identified wetland is wrong and significant you should decide if you would like to have a site visit. While the choice to have a site visit is a personal one and completely voluntary, there may be some considerable benefits – see links for the full reports.

https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/habitats/wetlands/why-wetlands-are-important/

https://www.tasman.govt.nz/my-region/environment/environmental-management/land/wetlands/

https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/rivers-and-wetlands/wetlands