• On this page:

• About National Environmental Standards
• NES-PF is available
• Objectives of the NES-PF
• How the NES-PF works
• Tools to help councils and foresters
• Flexibility for local environments
• Implementing the NES-PF

About National Environmental Standards

National Environmental Standards (NES) are regulations made under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and:

• set out technical standards, methods or requirements relating to matters under the RMA
• provide consistent rules across the country by setting planning requirements for certain specified activities.

An NES prevails over district or regional plan rules except where the NES-PF specifically allows more stringent plan rules. 

NES-PF is available

The National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) were published on 3 August 2017 and came into force on 1 May 2018.

Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry) Amendment Regulations 2018 (which include changes to the Erosion Susceptibility Classifications) were published on 26 April 2018 and commenced on 1 May.

• NES-PF regulations – NZ Legislation website
• NES-PF regulation amendments 2018 – NZ Legislation website
• Material incorporated by reference in the regulations

Objectives of the NES-PF

The NES-PF objectives are to:

• maintain or improve the environmental outcomes associated with plantation forestry activities
• increase the efficiency and certainty of managing plantation forestry activities.

The objectives are achieved through a single set of regulations under the RMA that apply to foresters throughout New Zealand.

Why an NES for forestry activities

Councils previously managed the environmental effects of forestry activities through regional and district plans. As a result, the rules varied between and within regions. Sometimes these variations reflected local differences and community priorities. But where they didn't, it caused problems for the many forest owners who manage forests in 2 or more regions or have forests that straddle council boundaries. The variation resulted in:

• increased costs
• uncertainty about the plan rules they must follow.

The variations in rules also led to inconsistent environmental outcomes.

The NES-PF provides a consistent set of regulations for plantation forestry activities. It covers 8 core plantation forestry activities, allowing these to be carried out as permitted activities, subject to conditions to manage potential effects on the environment.

Where it isn't possible to manage these effects – for example, the site is at high risk of erosion and needs greater controls – the activity requires resource consent.

How the NES-PF works

The NES-PF regulations cover 8 core plantation forestry activities that have potential environmental effects:

• afforestation (planting new forest)
• pruning and thinning to waste (selective felling of trees where the felled trees remain on site)
• earthworks
• river crossings
• forestry quarrying (extraction of rock, sand, or gravel within a plantation forest or for operation of a forest on adjacent land)
• harvesting
• mechanical land preparation
• replanting.

The NES-PF applies to any forest of at least one hectare that has been planted specifically for commercial purposes and will be harvested.

Year One review

The terms of reference for the planned Year One review of the implementation of the NES-PF have been agreed on by Ministers and were made available on 12 February 2019. The review will commence on 1 May 2019.

• Terms of reference for Year One review [PDF, 256 KB]

Conditions to manage potential environmental effects

The regulations are based on good forestry practices.

Some examples of the conditions under the NES-PF regulations are:

• setbacks when planting next to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal areas. These unplanted strips protect against erosion and sedimentation from afforestation
• management plans for earthworks, forest quarrying, and harvesting activities to identify environmental risks and how they'll be managed
• identification and maintenance of storm water and sediment control measures for forestry activities.

If forest operators can meet the conditions, the activity is permitted. If not, they must seek a resource consent from their council.

Councils may charge for monitoring

Councils will be able to charge to recover the costs of monitoring permitted activities that require a management plan (harvesting, earthworks, and forest quarrying) and river crossings. These permitted activities have a higher risk of environmental effects if foresters don't comply with conditions.

If councils choose to set a charge, they'll need to comply with the requirements of the RMA and the Local Government Act. These include:

• a public consultation process
• having clear links between any charges and the activities being charged for
• establishing charges covering reasonable costs.

This is the same process councils must currently use to charge for issuing and monitoring resource consents. 

NES-PF overview of regulations for councils and foresters

Tools to help councils and foresters

The NES-PF regulations use several science-based tools to help council staff and foresters plan and manage forestry operations.

• Erosion Susceptibility Classification
• Fish Spawning Indicator
• Wilding Tree Risk Calculator                                                       

Flexibility for local environments

The NES-PF recognises the need for flexibility to protect sensitive local environments. Regional and district councils plans can be more stringent to:

• manage their unique and sensitive environments such as geothermal areas and drinking water supplies
• protect significant natural areas and outstanding natural features and landscapes
• give effect to other national RMA mechanisms like the: 
• National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management
• New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement.

While the NES-PF covers the core forestry activities, there are other activities that are still covered by plan rules.

Implementing the NES-PF

The NES-PF requires changes to the way councils manage plantation forestry activities under the RMA. So councils and the forestry sector need to understand all the NES-PF regulations and the changes they bring.

After publishing the regulations, Te Uru Rākau (Forestry New Zealand) hosted a nationwide series of introductory workshops to help foresters and councils better understand the NES-PF.

• Download the NES-PF workshop presentation [PDF, 8.3 MB]

A second series of workshops in May 2018 furthered foresters' knowledge of the NES-PF. Three scenario-based activities used in these workshops, including questions and answers, are available to download.

• Workshop scenario 1 – Overview [PDF, 910 KB]
• Workshop scenario 2 – Harvesting [PDF, 979 KB]
• Workshop scenario 3 – Infrastructure [PDF, 1 MB]

If you need further help implementing the NES-PF, check the guidance section below, speak to your local council, or contact Te Uru Rākau.

Guidance to support NES-PF implementation

MPI has developed guidance to support implementation of the NES-PF. The guidance is targeted at regional councils, territorial authorities, and the forestry industry as the primary users of the NES-PF.

Guidance on the NES-PF

The Ministry for the Environment have produced guidelines to help councils with their compliance, monitoring and enforcement (CME) responsibilities under the RMA:

Guidelines for compliance, monitoring and enforcement under the RMA

Get the latest on the NES-PF

Get updates on upcoming NES-PF materials and events by subscribing to plantation forestry updates on our website.

• Subscribe to updates

Material incorporated by reference in the regulations

References that are part of the NES-PF regulations (material incorporated by reference) are listed in Schedule 2 of the regulations. They include information that helps foresters understand the rules that apply to them. 

Find out more

• Minister's announcement of NES-PF – media release
• Consultation and development of the NES-PF
• Resource Management (NESPF) Regulations 2017 – Cabinet paper [PDF, 1.2 MB]
• Revised Policy Proposal for the National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry – Cabinet paper [PDF, 1.4 MB]
• A National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry - Regulatory Impact Statement [PDF, 13 MB]
• Enabling councils to charge for monitoring permitted activities under the NES-PF – Regulatory Impact Statement [PDF, 904 KB]
• Proposed NES-PF: Section 32 evaluation [PDF, 1.1 MB]
• Proposed NES-PF: report on submissions and recommendations [PDF, 1.2 MB]
• Plantation forestry economic analysis, revised for proposed NES [PDF, 2.2 MB]
• NES-PF evaluation of effectiveness on environmental outcomes [PDF, 1.3 MB]
• Assessment of the implications of changes to the draft NES-PF [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Who to contact

If you have questions about the NES-PF, contact Te Uru Rākau:

• email  info@mpi.govt.nz
• phone 0800 00 83 33 (select option 3).