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Dunedin City Council – Kaunihera-a-rohe o Otepoti

Written Notice of Plantation Forestry Activities

Last updated: 09 Sep 2025 12:54pm

Important notice

This notification form is currently being updated to reflect the latest National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF). In the meantime, the information presented here pertains to the requirements of the old NES-PF. Please submit any additional information required under the NES-CF, such as management plans, in the attachment section of the form. Alternatively, you can send additional attachments or information to planning.forestry@dcc.govt.nz.

Use this form to provide written notice to undertake permitted plantation forestry activities (afforestation, forestry quarrying and/or harvesting) as defined in Regulation 3 of the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry) Regulations 2017 (NES-PF).

Appendix A provides definitions of the relevant plantation forestry activities in the NES-PF and Appendix B provides definitions of the relevant Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan (2GP) activities.

  • Appendix A: Definition of Plantation Forestry Activities in Regulation 3

    Afforestation

    1. means planting and growing plantation forestry trees on land where there is no plantation forestry and where plantation forestry harvesting has not occurred within the last 5 years; but
    2. does not include vegetation clearance from the land before planting.

    Forestry quarrying

    1. means the extraction of rock, sand, or gravel for the formation of forestry roads and construction of other plantation forestry infrastructure, including landings, river crossing approaches, abutments, and forestry tracks:
      1. within a plantation forest;
      2. required for the operation of a plantation forest on adjacent land owned or managed by the owner of the plantation forest; and
    2. includes the extraction of alluvial gravels outside the bed of a river, extraction of minerals from borrow pits, and the processing and stockpiling of material at the forest quarry site; but
    3. does not include earthworks, mechanical land preparation, or gravel extraction from the bed of a river, lake, or other water body.

    Harvesting

    1. means felling trees, extracting trees, thinning tree stems and extraction for sale or use (production thinning), process trees into logs, or loading logs onto trucks for delivery to processing plants; but
    2. does not include:
      1. milling activities or processing of timber; or
      2. clearance of vegetation that is not plantation forest trees.

  • Appendix B: Definition of activities relating to Dunedin City Second Generation Plan (2GP)

    Vegetation Clearance

    Any activity that destroys, removes or damages vegetation including by any of the following:

    • cutting, crushing or burning
    • drainage, irrigation or other activities that result in changes to hydrology or soils or landforms
    • cultivation, over-planting, application of seed of exotic pasture or mob-stocking; or
    • application of chemicals.

    This definition excludes the grazing of improved pasture other than by mob-stocking; the maintenance of amenity or landscape plantings, gardens and lawns; the maintenance and harvesting of shelterbelts and small woodlots; and the maintenance and harvesting of plantation trees as part of forestry.

    Indigenous Vegetation

    A plant or lichen community in which species indigenous to that part of New Zealand are dominant, where dominance is measured as either:

    • indigenous species comprising at least 30% coverage by area or 30% of the total number of specimens present; or
    • indigenous species comprising at least 20% coverage, in plant or lichen communities where indigenous species make up the tallest stratum or are visually conspicuous.

Notification must be received at least 20 working days and no more than 60 working days before the date at which the activity is planned to begin.

Note: salvage operations require two days' notice only.

Please contact Planning.Forestry@dcc.govt.nz if you require any further information or assistance filling out this form.

  • Applicant details

    Details of person/Company giving notice

    (if applicable)

    (if different to applicant)

    Postcode Finder (new window)

    (please type in a valid email address - name@domain, name.name@domain (eg name@name.co.nz, name.name@name.org etc)

    Details of Agent/Forestry Consultant (if applicable)

    (if applicable)

    Postcode Finder (new window)

    (please type in a valid email address - name@domain, name.name@domain (eg name@name.co.nz, name.name@name.org etc)

    Details of Environmental Officer (if applicable)

    (if applicable)

    Postcode Finder (new window)

    (please type in a valid email address - name@domain, name.name@domain (eg name@name.co.nz, name.name@name.org etc)

  • Activity details

    Description of activity - as defined in Regulation 3 of the NES-PF

    Activity *(required)

    Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan requirements

    Vegetation clearance

    Will vegetation be cleared prior to afforestation?
    Is the vegetation to be cleared indigenous and/or close to a water body or coast?
    Description of vegetation clearance

    (250 words maximum)

    (250 words maximum)

    (250 words maximum)

    Note that Rule 10.3.2 of the 2GP includes rules relating to vegetation clearance prior to afforestation. Resource consent may be required if the clearance exceeds the maximum area for small scale clearance, or if the clearance contravenes protected areas or protected species rules (see protected areas question below).

    Protected areas

    Is afforestation proposed within any significant or outstanding natural landscapes or features, coastal character overlays or area of significant biodiversity?

    See 2GP Planning Map

    Location where the activity will occur (Regulations 10.1.a, 38.1.b, 52.1.a, 64.1.b)

    (100 words maximum)

    (100 words maximum)

    (250 words maximum)

    Planned start and end dates of the activity (Regulation 10.1.b, 25.1.b, 52.1.a, 64.1.a)

    Annual notice may be given in the case of ongoing forest quarrying or harvesting.

    Other information required

    Definition:

    Indigenous bird species being:

    • any indigenous bird species with a classification of Nationally Critical, Nationally Endangered, or Nationally Vulnerable as listed in Conservation status of birds in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
    • Falco novaeseelandiae ferox, common name kārearea/bush falcon.

    Afforestation A copy of the wilding tree risk calculator calculation sheet and score (Regulation 11.4) and a planting plan (map) highlighting afforestation areas and species are required documents. Other documents in this list are optional.

    You can load up to 5 files by using the + button. Files can only be of .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .jpg, .jpeg or .pdf type and no larger than 10MB in file size.

    Forest quarrying

    You may attach a supporting file. Files can only be of .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .jpg, .jpeg or .pdf type and no larger than 10MB in file size.

    Harvesting A harvesting plan (map) is a required documents. Other documents in this list are optional.

    You can load up to 3 files by using the + button. Files can only be of .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .jpg, .jpeg or .pdf type and no larger than 10MB in file size.

    Site visit

    Do you consent to a site visit if required? *(required)

    Privacy Request

    Please note that this document becomes a public record once submitted and could be disclosed following a request made to the DCC under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

    The DCC is required to provide this information following a request unless there are grounds for withholding it. While your personal contact details will automatically be withheld, there are limited grounds for withholding other information. These grounds are set out in that Act.

    If you want the DCC to consider withholding (part of) your application, please tick which withholding grounds may apply

  • Declaration

    Declaration *(required)

    I am completing this notice as *(required)

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Privacy

The DCC collects personal information from you, including your and contact details, for the purposes of this notice including the administering of the activities.

You are not required to provide this personal information but if you do not, this could result in this permission being declined.

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to ask for to see all the information that the DCC holds about you and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at privacy@dcc.govt.nz.

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