ABSTRACTSome global organisations and many national governments have adopted formal descriptions of sustainability, despite its elusive meaning. In most instances, the responsibility for the implementation of sustainability is placed firmly on the land‐user. In New Zealand, this is within the context of regional and district plans that are a requirement of the national legislation governing resource management, the Resource Management Act (RMA). In this paper, we analyse various ‘official’ interpretations of sustainability prior to examining Northland farmers' definitions of sustainable agriculture, their views on a hypothetical subsidy for environmental projects on their farms and the impact of the RMA. Economic factors and the maintenance of agricultural productivity remain paramount considerations; many environmental projects are undertaken but provision of a subsidy would make little difference because of existing financial and time constraints; and the RMA has thus far affected only one quarter of respon
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