The Council works co-operatively with hillcountry farmers with the aim of ensuring the land remains healthy and productive in the long term.
Our advice and support comes in the form of free farm plans individually tailored for specific properties
Comprehensive Farm Plans
Comprehensive Farm Plans to look at all aspects of operations across an entire farm, including land and stock management. Typically developed for hillcountry farmers, comprehensive plans tackle issues such as slope stabilisation, gully erosion control, shelter, pasture improvement, wetland conservation, and the impacts on stock numbers and farm income. The idea is to match land use to the potential of the land, minimising the impact of erosion and maximising productivity
Our Land Management Officers evaluate a farm’s different land types and work with the farmer’s long-term goals to recommend appropriate land use and soil conservation actions. Plans include advice on planting, fencing, track layout and more. They can also recommend diversification or land use changes like planting forestry, scrub reversion and bush retirement.
Agroforestry Plans
Agroforestry plans are developed for farmers interested in establishing exotic or native plantation forestry on their property.
Forestry recommendations are based on land suitability for both planting and harvest. Our plans include a forestry proposal and an estimate of costs. They also include technical advice on selecting appropriate species, on planting and on regimes to optimise timber yield.
Agroforestry Plans can specify planting native forestry, particularly for areas of land considered too unstable for commercial forestry.
Conservation Plans
Where a farmer has concerns about a certain area of their property, we develop a Conservation Plan. These plans tackle specific issues such as stabilising a particular steep hillside, or a sand blow near the coast, or protecting a windswept paddock on the ring plain.
Conservation plans can also recommend farm improvements such as stabilising an eroding streambank , restoring a degraded wetland, or establishing a more efficient stock water supply.
These plans generally include an objective, a design solution, an estimate of costs and time frames and implementation advice such as ‘how to’ support.
Interested in one of our plans?
Call the Council on 0800 736 222 and ask for a Land Management Officer or email hillcountry@trc.govt.nz.
Introduction to the Council's property plans
Find out how you and the Council can work together to achieve the wisest and most productive use of your property.
Secure the future of your farm with a property plan (785 KB pdf) See all the information sheetsSoil conservation
These info sheets offer practical advice on controlling erosion, which is a key element of sustainable land management.
South Taranaki and Regional Erosion Support Scheme (STRESS) (537 KB pdf) See all the information sheetsAgroforestry
These info sheets cover various species as well as timber-lot design considerations, and there's also a guidebook on mānuka & kānuka plantations.
Australian blackwood (1 MB pdf) See all information sheets & guidebook