Working with us, in four steps
Tell us what you do with water
A short conversation and a look at the property. We confirm which uses are in play and whether you need a licence at all. No charge for this.
You get one written price
A fixed fee in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing, and no invoices arriving later from consultants you never appointed.
We build and lodge the file
Application forms, specialist reports, public participation and advertising. The file goes in complete, which is where most delays are avoided.
We carry it to a decision
We answer the department's questions, chase the regional office and escalate where the file sits still. You get updates by email throughout.
What happens inside the application
Stage 1
Pre-application engagement
For larger applications the department expects a pre-application meeting where the uses and the scope of studies are agreed. We arrange and attend it, so the file is built to what the regional office actually asked for.
Stage 2
Registration on the department's system
The application is registered electronically and a reference number is issued. Everything that follows is tracked against that number.
Stage 3
Specialist studies
Depending on the uses: a hydrocensus and groundwater assessment, a wetland or riverine delineation, a water balance, and a water and waste management plan. On the all-in package we appoint and pay these specialists ourselves.
Stage 4
Public participation
Notices, advertising and direct notification of neighbours, water user associations and other interested parties, followed by a comment period. Comments and our responses go into the file.
Stage 5
Lodgement and technical review
The complete file is lodged. The department reviews it, raises queries and refers it to a technical committee for a recommendation.
Stage 6
Decision and licence conditions
A licence is issued with conditions — volumes, monitoring, reporting, and a review date. We go through the conditions with you so you know what compliance actually requires.
Stage 7
Appeal, if needed
If the application is refused, or the conditions are unworkable, there is a right of appeal to the Water Tribunal within the prescribed period. We prepare and run that appeal.
What we need from you
You do not need all of this to start. Send what you have and we will tell you what is still missing.
- Company registration documents and the ID of the person signing
- Title deed, lease or written consent from the property owner
- A locality map or farm portion description, with GPS coordinates if you have them
- Details of each borehole, pump, dam, pipeline or discharge point
- Water meter readings or an estimate of the volume you use each year
- Any earlier permits, allocations or correspondence with the department
- Existing specialist reports, if any have already been done
Where applications go wrong
The most common reason a file sits for a year is that it went in incomplete. A missing groundwater report, a public participation record with gaps in it, or a locality map that does not match the title deed will all park an application at the query stage.
The second most common is applying for the wrong thing — a full licence where a general authorisation would have done, or a licence for one use on a property that has four.
Both are avoidable. That is what the review at the start is for.
Ready when you are
Fill in the online application and we will come back with what you need and one written fee. Nothing is payable to begin.
Start your application