In your community

There are lots of ways you can get involved in your community to help look after New Zealand’s water resource. Why not start now?

Visit your local council’s website by selecting your region from the list below:

Northland
Northland has a dense network of rivers and streams, many are relatively short with small catchments. The Northern Wairoa River is Northland’s largest river, draining nearly one-third of our region’s land area. Northland also has a number of dune lakes grouped on the Aupouri, Karikari and Pouto Peninsulas. Looking after Northland’s waterways is a complex and diverse task - covering irrigation, fresh water supplies, erosion, leachates, and floods and droughts.
Northland: Freshwater
Lake Omapere Restoration and Management Project

Back to top

Auckland
Water is one of the Auckland region’s most important resources. The Auckland Regional Council assesses how much water can be safely taken from streams, lakes and groundwater (including geothermal) sources. It also protects its quality from being degraded via monitoring, investigations and by providing the framework for design and best management practices.
Auckland: Save the Drain for Rain
Auckland: Water
Environmental Data Online
Stormwater Treatment Devices: Design Guideline Manual

Back to top

Waikato
Lake Taupo is a national taonga, an internationally recognised tourism and recreational icon containing a world-class trout fishery. The ground-breaking Lake Taupo Protection Trust is a $81.4 million partnership agreement between the Ministry for the Environment, Environment Waikato, Taupo District Council and Tuwharetoa. The aim is to reduce the quantity of nitrogen entering the lake by 20 percent in the next 15 years, taking action now to prevent future damage.
 
Waikato: Groundwater
Waikato: Rivers, lakes and wetlands
Waikato: Clean streams
Waikato: Inland water
Waikato: River levels and rainfall
Teachers resources
Environmental indicators
Lake Taupo Protection Trust
Hamilton City Council website
Fish on drains
Water booklet

Back to top

Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty is a region surrounded by water with the Pacific Ocean to our north, the Rotorua Lakes inland to our west and numerous rivers, such as the Whakatane and Waioeka to our east. We depend on water for our survival, and so does our wildlife. That is why Environment Bay of Plenty wants to ensure our water is a sustainable resource for the future. Environment Bay of Plenty works with communities in the region by promoting and regulating water management practices.
 
Bay of Plenty: Water
Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Action Programme

Back to top

Gisborne
The rivers of Gisborne District are all known by their Maori names: the most significant are the Motu, Waiapu, Waipaoa, Hangaroa, Uawa and Turanganui. Many rivers are highly regarded for the recreational and wilderness experience they provide for fly fishers, canoeists and white water rafters. The water resources of Gisborne include aquifers, and both river and groundwater are important as a source of irrigation water for the vineyards, orchards and crops grown on ‘The flats’.
Gisborne: Water resources and management

Back to top

Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay’s generally dry, sunny climate is interspersed with periods of drought and high rainfall, which means that managing water becomes a critical issue for the region. Groundwater is the hidden source of Hawke’s Bay’s prosperity. The huge aquifer resource underlying the Heretaunga Plains and Ruataniwha Plains (and some smaller localised sources) is the main source of water for irrigation, industrial processing, and domestic supplies in the region.
 
Hawke's Bay: Water
Recreational water quality tests on safe swimming
Irrigation warnings and bans
Te Karamu Stream Enhancement Project

Back to top

Taranaki
Taranaki’s fresh water resources, particularly surface water, are highly valued and extensively used. There are 286 main river catchments that flow into the sea and 530 named rivers. The two largest rivers – the Waitara and Patea rivers – drain large areas of the ring plain and hill country. The remaining catchments are relatively small. Taranaki has ten lakes larger than 8ha. Taranaki fresh water is maintaining its quality, and if anything, is actually improving. And water quality in the region is as good as or better than most other equivalent waterways in New Zealand.
 
Taranaki: Fresh water
Taranaki: Fresh water bathing sites

Back to top

Manawatu-Wanganui
Throughout the summer Horizons Regional Council, in conjunction with Biosecurity New Zealand, had a crack team out targeting popular swimming, boating and fishing spots, highlighting the dangers of didymo. Spreading the message of Check, Clean and Dry, the team encouraged people to fill out questionnaires to test their knowledge on rock snot (didymo) and other aquatic pests.
 
Horizons Regional Council
Manawatu-Wanganui: High-use swimming spots
Manawatu-Wanagnui: Groundwater
Manawatu-Wanganui: Current Lake Horowhenua Health Risk Level
Land and Water Regional Plan

Back to top

Wellington
Greater Wellington’s Be the Difference campaign is a great way to get involved in looking after our environment. Whether it’s planting trees, restoring a stream, cleaning up a beach or participating in a regional outdoors recreation event, you can make a difference and enjoy the environment of the region. Care groups, supported by Greater Wellington, are working throughout the region to restore rivers and streams, wetlands and lakes, estuaries, dunes and coastal cliffs.
 
Wellington: Water quality
Wellington: Water conservation
Be the difference

Back to top

Tasman
In Tasman District the natural environment is rich in water resources. The District has more than 9000 kilometres of rivers and streams, a beautiful coastline stretching for 817 kilometres, along with pristine alpine lakes. This district is also home to Te Waikoropupu Springs, the largest cold water springs in the Southern Hemisphere. Tasman District Council monitors more than 50 sites across the district for water quality and works with the community and industry to ensure we have a sustainable resource for the future.
 
Tasman: Water
Find out how your favourite swimming spot measures up
What affects stream health and how we manage it
Find out why we measure water quality, where and how we do it
Find ways you can help improve and maintain our water resources
Find how Tasman District measures up to the national standards for water quality
Find out what Council is doing to manage plant and animal life in waterways
Find out more about what lives in our rivers and streams
Find out about streamcare groups in Tasman District and how you can get involved

Back to top

Nelson
Like many other councils Nelson City Council is working on fresh water issues. A major goal of the Freshwater Plan Change is to control the adverse effects of our activities on the freshwater environment. It also aims to enable the use and development of fresh water where this can be done sustainably.
 
Nelson: Water supply and treatment
Drains are for rain
Learn how to collect rainwater on-site for conservation uses
Rural Fencing Grants Programme
Freshwater Biodiversity Advice

Back to top

Marlborough
Marlborough’s year-round sunshine and diverse landscape are conducive to an easy-going lifestyle and excellent range of recreational activities – on land and on the water. Maintaining the quality and quantity of fresh water resources is critical to the wellbeing of the Marlborough community and its renowned wine making industry.
 
Marlborough: Groundwater
Marlborough: Freshwater monitoring
Marlborough: Freshwater sites
Marlborough: Getting Wise With Water (PDF 930KB)

Back to top

West Coast
The West Coast has a noticeably milder climate than the east coast regions, with fewer extremes of climate. It is known for its mountain scenery, native rainforest and stunning coastline. West Coast waterways are unique in that nearly all have a cool, extremely wet climate, and this climate type had the highest water quality out of a total of six climate types observed nationally.
 
West Coast: Clean streams
West Coast: Surface water quantity
West Coast: Surface water quality

Back to top

Canterbury
Fresh water is vital to the Canterbury region which has 70% of the country’s irrigated land, generates 24% of the nation’s power through hydroelectricity and provides a high quality water supply to over 360,000 Christchurch people without the need for treatment. Water also creates and sustains Canterbury’s world-famous braided rivers, lowland streams and wetlands. Quality and quantity issues include the impact of land practices on water quality, discharge of contaminants, the health of our freshwater ecosystems and the natural character of Canterbury’s water.
 
Canterbury: Water

Back to top

Otago
Since the Otago Regional Plan: Water was introduced in 2004 the demand for water in Otago has grown. Some changes to the plan are necessary to ensure sustainable allocation in future. A round of public meetings on the future of the region’s water ran in February and March.
 
Otago: Dairy Farming Waterway Protection Programme
Otago: Stormwater
Otago: Water monitoring
Water Info – river and rainfall information

Back to top

Southland
Water plays an important part in the Southland region and our lakes and rivers are integral to our heritage and identity. Environment Southland, in partnership with the people of the region, is responsible for maintaining the quality of this vital resource in a way that we can all continue to use and enjoy. Our drinking water is of a very high standard and we want to be assured that effluent is treated so that there is minimal impact on our health and on the environment. We all depend on reliable and continued water supplies from catchments and groundwater and it is vital to maintain this resource for now and the future.
 
Southland: Water
Southland: Land sustainability and Collaborating for clean water
Southland: Bathing water quality
Southland: Groundwater
Southland: Environmental Education Resources
Wai Tri 2007
Beach bathing water quality monitoring
Suitability for Recreation Grades

Back to top