Fish passage authorisations
Apply for an exemption from the requirement to maintain a culvert or ford to allow fish passage, to construct a dam or diversion structure or modify an existing fish facility.

Under the Freshwater Fisheries Regulations DOC has responsibilities to manage fish passage in any natural New Zealand waterway. This means:

  • culverts and fords may not impede (ie delay or prevent by obstructing) fish passage unless they have been approved or exempted by DOC
  • DOC needs to determine if all dams or diversion structures proposed to be built and built post 1983 require a fish facility
  • existing fish facilities may not be structurally modified without approval from DOC.

Pre-application advice

We’ll help you to:

  • Understand the authorisation you will need to apply for.
  • Navigate our statutory planning documents, so you can consider whether the activity you wish to undertake is consistent with them.
  • Understand DOC’s responsibility to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, which requires consultation with Treaty Partners on most applications. If you wish, DOC can help you contact the local iwi, hapū, and whānau to assess whether your proposed activity will have any cultural effects. Often this consultation can enhance the activity you are considering.

Pre-application advice

Exemption for culverts and fords impeding fish passage

If your existing culvert or ford impedes the movement of fish, or will do so in the future, you’ll need to follow the process below:

If the structure as a risk of impeding passage:

If your application for exemption is approved we will send you documentation and final invoice.

If your application for exemption is not granted, the culvert or ford must be removed or remediated to provide unimpeded passage.

Fish facilities for dams and diversion structures

If you are planning to construct a dam or diversion structure, or you have a dam or diversion structure that was built post 1983 (and has not been assessed to determine if a fish facility is required) you’ll need to follow the process below to determine whether a fish facility is required

First, see our guidance (PDF, 188K) to determine if your structure is exempt from assessment.

If your structure is not exempted, then:

Once your application has been assessed, DOC will inform you as to whether you are required to include a fish facility. This requirement may be incorporated into other Permissions documentation. 

It’s an offence to wilfully damage a fish facility and fish facilities must be properly maintained and/or repaired if damaged. 

Proposed fish facility alteration

If you are planning to structurally alter an existing fish facility (please refer to regulation 2 of the Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 1983 for the definition of fish facility) you’ll need to follow the process below:

If your application is approved we will send you an authorisation and final invoice.   

Environmental Impact Assessment

As part of your application you may need to complete a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Fees

We charge an application processing fee based on the time required to process your application and staff hourly charge-out rates. Complex applications cost more as they take longer to process.

After you apply, we will assign your application to a processing category that reflects its complexity. Each category has a minimum processing fee.

Learn more about processing categories and minimum fees

If you seek pre-application advice, we can tell you the category and minimum processing fee that will most likely apply to your application. We will confirm your minimum processing fee once your application is accepted and assigned to a processing category. If we expect your processing fee to exceed the minimum fee, we will give you a non-binding fee estimate before we start work.

We will usually invoice your fee after processing is complete. If you withdraw your application, you will be charged for any work already done.

If your application is approved, ongoing permission fees may apply.

Contact us

For more information or assistance with your authorisation contact the nearest of these DOC offices.