River management guidelines

River management activities contribute to flood and erosion risk management by supporting and improving the natural capacity of rivers to retain and move water, reduce the frequency and impacts of damage.

Waikato Regional Council works with you to deliver erosion protection (hard and soft engineering), in-stream capacity works (e.g gravel management and obstruction removal), removal of trees that are at risk of falling and causing obstructions and erosion, planting of natives and willow poles to stabilise banks and improve biodiversity.

This helps keep streambanks stable and ensures capacity within channels to cope in high rainfall events, reducing flooding impacts tp protect people and property.

Together we can build resilience quickly and give the works time to bed in ahead of the next weather event.

Landowners have the primary responsibility for maintaining the streambanks on their property. The main objectives of river management and improvement are to maintain river channel capacity, to ensure stability of riverbanks, to provide and enhance fish passage and habitat. This can be achieved through:

• Information and advice.
• Annual inspections of the main rivers and streams and responding to enquiries.
• Removal of obstructions within the channel that are causing or could increase the flood and erosion risk.
• Assisting with fencing off (for stock exclusion) eroding portions of channels.
• Planting and maintaining vegetation to help prevent erosion.
• Undertaking erosion control work within channels.

You can protect riverbanks from erosion by:

• Stock management – for example, fencing to keep stock out of rivers and other waterways.
• Planting the riverbank – for example, with natives.

River management is 100% funded by Waikato Regional Council but is budget dependent. The landowner is expected to provide in-kind contributions such as dropping/reinstating fences to provide access, and  disposing of material removed from a channel.

River improvement is funded up to 50% by Waikato Regional Council where the landowner contributes financially and in-kind. River management and improvement may not be available where the waterway does not have full stock exclusion.

Good river management practice helps protect your property and land from damage.

Effective river management reduces:

• Erosion - protecting your valuable soil.
• Sedimentation – improving water quality.
• Damage from flooding – saving you money.

Good river management also improves recreational opportunities, for example, swimming, and habitat for aquatic plants and animals, such as whitebait.

Rivers also hold cultural, recreational, and aesthetic value. They are a source of water and are home to a variety of aquatic animals and plants.  By managing rivers and streams we help protect our quality of life

Information, advice and co-ordination

Waikato Regional Council provides advice and information to landowners on good river management practices, and can co-ordinate activities of contracted work.

Financial assistance

Waikato Regional Council has a number of river and catchment schemes, which provide funding and assistance for river management.

The removal of obstructions

Waikato Regional Council undertakes the removal of major blockages and obstructions beyond normal landowner maintenance.

Erosion control

Waikato Regional Council undertakes the control of significant erosion in the Region where it involves a number of landowner properties and stakeholders.

Free advice and information is also available to help landowners manage river bank erosion on individual properties.

Gravel management

Waikato Regional Council can arrange the removal of gravel that has built up in a channel after a flood event or from normal river deposits where appropriate.