WM Environmental

13/10/2026

Got gravel on your farm? Before you bring in the digger, check which rules apply. 🚜

Not all gravel extraction in Southland is treated the same.

🌊 Gravel within a river or stream bed?
The regional planning requirements administered by Environment Southland apply. Depending on the scale, location and nature of the extraction, resource consent may be required.

🌱 Gravel in a paddock or elsewhere outside the riverbed?
The Southland District Plan may apply, and the rules differ depending on your property's zone and the scale and circumstances of the extraction.
For example, Southland District Council identifies specific circumstances where gravel extraction in the General Rural Zone may occur without resource consent, provided all applicable requirements are met. Extraction in other zones requires a different assessment.

The location, zoning, volume and intended use of the gravel all matter. In some cases, both regional and district council rules may apply.

At WM Environmental, we can review your proposed extraction and establish:
✅ Which council rules apply
✅ Whether the site is within a riverbed or on land
✅ Your property's planning zone
✅ Whether the activity can meet permitted standards
✅ Whether resource consent is required
✅ What information is needed for an application

A quick planning check upfront can avoid unnecessary consenting issues once extraction has started.

Have gravel on your property that you want to extract? Get in touch with the WM Environmental team to discuss your options.

02/10/2026

Did you know as of today, Plan Change 2 comes into effect for Residential housing in zone 1 and 1A in Invercargill?

Plan Change 2 creates more opportunity for smaller, attached, and medium-density housing in Residential Zone 1 and 1A (see map).

Zone 1A
• The permitted housing density reduces from 400 m² to 300 m², subdivision is required under a restricted discretionary process, without public notification
• Housing densities between 200 m² and 300 m² are possible but there are further restrictions
Zone 1
• The permitted housing density remains 400 m², subdivision is required under a restricted discretionary process, without public notification
• Housing densities between 350 m² and 400 m² have moved from a discretionary to a restricted discretionary approval process, without public notification
• Housing densities less than 350 m² are possible but there are further restrictions

If you are looking at how you can add value to your property due to this change, our team would be happy to discuss the new rules with you and help guide you through the consenting process. You can reach out to us via Facebook message or by emailing [email protected]

Read more about the change here - https://www.icc.govt.nz/news-events/01-news?item=id:2zonclhga17q9src2ui3

WM Environmental is a specialist environmental management consultancy who provides expert advice and support to ensure your resource consenting and compliance requirements are being met. We deliver an end to end package, from start to finish.

01/07/2026

Messi became the World Cup's all-time leading goal scorer through consistency, resilience, and delivering under pressure. WM Environmental's doing much the same, just with fewer trophies, more gumboots, and significantly less rolling around on the ground.

18/06/2026

Lauren and Renee went along to Rob Waddells high performance talk hosted by Great South last night. We got the chance to catch up with the humorous The Gofer team which is always a barrel of laughs. Rocky insisted we get a photo 😆

12/06/2026

Day for it ☀️Spot Craig from Watershed Solutions dialling in.

09/06/2026

Courier delivered this and we’ve got questions!
Closest guess wins bragging rights and maybe a coffee.
Wrong answers encouraged 🙂

19/05/2026

If you’re at a loose end this weekend get down to the Squash Southland Open at Squash City Invercargill to watching some incredible squash!

01/04/2026

Incredible operation South Port NZ

31/03/2026