Pastoral activity consents

Find out what activities need the consent of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and how to apply for consent.

Pastoral lessees need the consent of the Commissioner of Crown Lands before carrying out various activities on the land. These activities are called discretionary pastoral activities.

To check whether your activity is permitted, discretionary, or prohibited, see the applicable factsheets at: Helping you navigate changes to CPLA.

Pastoral lessees, licensees, and other users of Crown pastoral land need consent for other activities on or related to Crown pastoral land, such as commercial recreation permits, easements, protective mechanisms, or transfers.

The table below contains the application forms for the activities which need the Commissioner’s consent. If you have any questions about whether a proposed activity requires consent, or you are unsure what sort of information you need to provide, please contact your Pastoral Specialist or email pastoral@linz.govt.nz.

A new consents system came into effect on the 17 November 2022. The forms below have been updated to reflect the new consenting requirements.

Activities requiring the Commissioner’s consent, and relevant application form

To apply for consent, complete the correct application form and send it to your Pastoral Specialist or to pastoral@linz.govt.nz.

If you are applying for an activity you need to carry out within a certain time, we recommend you get in touch early in the project planning phase to avoid unnecessary delays.

Activity and who can applyFormWho can apply
Burning vegetation Lessee only

Clearing indigenous vegetation

 

Lessee only

Felling, selling, removing, destroying, or burning timber or bush (excluding exotic pest plant species)

 

Lessee only
Cropping, cultivating, draining, or ploughing any part of the land Lessee only
Top-dressing or sowing seeds Lessee only
Planting vegetation (excluding riparian planting using indigenous species sourced from local seeds) Lessee only
Forming any path, road, or track on the land Lessee only
Creating new fire breaks Lessee only
Constructing buildings and infrastructure Lessee only
New fencing outside a cultivated paddock Lessee only
Clearing drains (except where the activity is a permitted pastoral activity) Lessee only
Constructing water storage infrastructure, including dams Lessee only
Spraying a slope to remove vegetation, and replanting the slope in stock or forage crops Lessee only
Undertaking any other activity affecting, involving, or causing disturbance to the soil Lessee only
Transfer of stock exemption Lessee only
Granting, varying, or revoking an exemption from any stock limitation Lessee only
To apply for a recreation permitAnyone
To apply for a recreation permit to filmAnyone
To apply for an easement Anyone
To transfer a lease or licence (shares in a limited liability company) Lessee / business partner of lessee
To transfer a lease or licence (excluding the transfer of shares in a limited liability company) Lessee / business partner of lessee
To sublease or sublicence Lessee / business partner of lessee

Application fees

All amounts are GST inclusive and payable upon application.

These charges relate to the preparation and registration of documents by the Commissioner of Crown Lands.

An application fee will be invoiced by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand when your application has been submitted and accepted. Please make prompt payment. We will start processing your application once payment on this invoice is received.

Application / RequestAmount
An instrument under section 60 granting or reserving a right of way or other easement over or under Crown land$165
A recreation permit under section 66A$115
A consent under section 89, ie a transfer, sublease or sublicence$115

 

Application fees for a commercial recreation permit for filming

Filming on leased land for a half day

ActivitySet up / wrap upFilmingContingency - No occupationContingency - Occupation
Drone only-$60--
Photo shoot-$60--
<10 personnel$125$250-$125
10-50 personnel$180$360-$180
>50 personnel*$250$500-$250

Filming on leased land for a full day

ActivitySet up / wrap upFilmingContingency - No occupationContingency - Occupation
Drone only-$120--
Photo shoot-$120--
<10 personnel$225$450-$225
10-50 personnel$300$600-$300
>50 personnel*$450$900-$450

Filming on other Crown land for a half day

ActivitySet up / wrap upFilmingContingency - No occupationContingency - Occupation
Drone only-$100--
Photo shoot-$100--
<10 personnel$200$400-$200
10-50 personnel$300$600-$300
>50 personnel*$400$800-$500

Filming on other Crown land for a full day

ActivitySet up / wrap upFilmingContingency - No occupationContingency - Occupation
Drone only-$200--
Photo shoot-$200--
<10 personnel$350$750-$350
10-50 personnel$500$1,000-$500
>50 personnel*$750$1,500-$750

*Approximation only. For permits of 50 personnel or more, the fee will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

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