Rule 41 Planting

The deliberate introduction or planting of any plant except:

• crack willow (Salix fragilis); and grey willow (Salix cinera); other than on the margins of rivers where they are already predominant; or
• any introduced, submersed aquatic plant; or
• any species listed in the Regional Pest Plant Management Strategy;

[including any associated;

• disturbance of any lake or river bed; or
• deposition on the river or lake bed; or
• temporary diversion;]

in the bed of any river or lake to remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of flooding, erosion, or on-point source discharges of contaminants, or to restore habitat, is a permitted activity, provided it complies with the conditions below.

Conditions

(1) No contaminants (including but not limited to oil, petrol, diesel, paint, or solvent) shall be released to the river bed from equipment being used for the operation, and no refuelling of equipment shall take place on any area of river or lake bed.

(2) All reasonable steps shall be taken to minimise the release of sediment to water during the activity.

(3) In any part of the river or lake bed covered by water in any water body identified in Policy 4.2.14 (Appendix 4 - Water bodies with important trout habitat (click here for a pdf Important Trout Habitat (146k))), the activity shall not take place between 31 May and 31 August.

(4) There shall be no disturbance to nesting Banded Dotterels (Charadrius bicinctus), Black Fronted Dotterels (Charadrius melanops), Black Billed Gulls (Larus bulleri), Pied Stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus), or Variable Oystercatchers (Haematopus unicolor) South Island Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), Caspian Terns (Sterna caspia), White-Fronted Terns (Sterna striata), and Spur-Winged Plover (Vanellus miles).

(5) Public access shall not be restricted more than is necessary to complete the planting.

(6) No machinery shall be left overnight in an area of river or lake bed covered by water.

(7) All equipment and materials used for the removal of vegetation shall be removed from the river or lake bed on completion of the operation.

In Rule 40, the words in square brackets were inserted by Decisions on Plan change 1 to the Regional Freshwater Plan December 2002