QCONZ FWFP

User Guides

Risk Assessment  

2 minutesread

Overview

The system has now generated several risks. These are based on the information you provided for your farming activities and your land units. Rate the significance of each risk for each land unit by selecting low, medium, or high. If a risk isn’t relevant to a block, then you may remove it If the risk isn’t relevant to your farm, then you can remove it completely, but you will be asked to provide an explanation. Hit Save when you’ve completed each risk for each relevant land unit.  

What are FWFP Risks? 

Freshwater farm plan risks are activities or vulnerabilities in your farm that could ‘risk’ contaminating the fresh water on your farm. These risks include farming practices or the topology of your land. 

Some example risks that you could encounter on your farm are: 

  • Nutrient Runoff and Leaching: The movement of nutrients from fertilizers or animal waste into waterways, which can cause eutrophication (algae blooms) and harm aquatic ecosystems.
  • Sediment Runoff: Soil erosion leading to sediment entering water bodies, which can degrade habitats, clog fish gills, and transport other pollutants.
  • Water Take Impacts: Over-extraction of water for irrigation or other purposes, affecting river flows, aquatic habitats, and water quality.
  • Contaminant Discharges: Direct discharge of pollutants from farm operations into freshwater, including chemicals, pathogens, and heavy metals. 
  • Habitat Degradation: Loss of wetlands, riparian zones, and other critical habitats for aquatic species due to agricultural expansion or practices.

The system draws from an extensive pre-selected list which includes the following:

  • 12 Risks specific to Pastoral
  • 9 Risks specific to Horticulture and Arable
  • 2 Risks specific to Deer
  • 2 Risks specific to Dairy
  • 5 default risks for ALL farms
  • 3 “custom” risks for specific situations including Winter Grazing, Irrigation, and Frost Protections
  • 2 Catchment Risks (triggered from Yes/No questions in Community and Cultural Significance)

For each Risk some additional information is also shown including Farming Activity(s) (which enterprise triggered the risk) and the Contaminants that each risk has been associated with. Click the View button to see this detail.