Actions for Healthy Waterways
Many of us in Aotearoa New Zealand are stepping up to restore our freshwater catchments. One of the missing pieces is consistent information about what restorative or protective actions are occurring where and to what extent. By gathering this information, we will be better able to link the actions that have been done on land to improved water quality outcomes, and know which actions work best and how much is needed.
This topic gives a catchment scale view of actions underway in a catchment, combining data from catchment care groups, industries, and councils. It can also help with sharing and connecting within a catchment or with neighbouring catchments as it identifies active organisations who have provided data or shared their stories.
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The data and stories shown in this topic are sourced from the Healthy Waterways register and are not independently validated by the LAWA project. The information in the register come from councils, industry organisations, and catchment groups. The information may be incomplete and may not necessarily reflect the views of LAWA partner agencies. The topic is designed to showcase actions being taken that could provide inspiration and encouragement to others and help with our future understanding of which actions makes the most difference to the health of waterways depending on the catchment context.
About this topic
Throughout New Zealand, there are many initiatives underway to improve water quality – some are regulatory, some are voluntary – they involve action by individuals, iwi/hapū, communities, industry, and central and local government. Over the last decade, there has been a big increase in funding through national funding such as Jobs for Nature, through regional and unitary council funding, through not-for-profit organisations, and through iwi/hapū.
Despite these actions, the pace of water quality improvement is not keeping up with most of our expectations. Is this because the actions are not the right actions? Or is there much greater intensity and scale needed? To answer these questions, we need consistent information on what actions are occurring where and to what extent.
Healthy Waterways – the national register of actions
This topic sources data and stories from the Healthy Waterways register, which was developed by the Our Land and Water - National Science Challenge. If your organisation has actions data or stories to share, please visit healthywaterways.nz, to get added to the register, so you can share your mahi.
We are at the start of this journey
At present this topic contains a snapshot of actions that have been entered by organisations into the register and that they have agreed to make publicly available. More information will be reported as people document their work and it becomes available to share. The aim is that over time the register will record all actions underway and track our collective progress year by year.
If the register is widely used, this information will help us understand the benefits of our actions on water quality and scale of the effort still needed to meet our expectations for water quality and freshwater ecosystems.
Actions and stories
The actions reported in the register are: stock exclusion, riparian planting, erosion control, wetland protection and restoration, and farm plans. These were chosen based on reviewing multiple catchment initiatives and selecting the most common actions underway to improve waterways.
The topic includes narratives or stories from the Healthy Waterways register. Research has revealed a strong desire for people to be able to add their stories, and explain innovative actions, monitoring or other initiatives that did not fit with the quantitative indicators of action. By sharing their stories, organisations can inform their local communities about the work they are doing and help other groups who are already or thinking about taking action within their own catchment to improve water quality.
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Stock exclusion
How this action contributes to improved water quality
Overview
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Stock exclusion
Keeping livestock away waterbodies, to prevent them from depositing waste (bacteria and nutrients) into waterways. It can also protect riverbanks and margins from trampling that can lead to sediment runoff and habitat damage.
Much of the stock exclusion actions reported will be fencing - fencing waterways is one of the simplest and most direct ways of keeping stock out of rivers, lakes, streams and their banks and margins. However reporting can include other forms of stock exclusion such as lengths of river from which stock are naturally excluded, for example by cliffs.
Stock exclusion alone provides some benefits to water quality, but the benefits will be greater if the area is also planted.
The quantitative measure used in this topic is the recorded length of stream bank from where stock are excluded.
Time (in hours) and money spent on stock exclusion actions are included in the regional effort summary stats.
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Riparian planting
How this action contributes to improved water quality
Overview
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Riparian planting
Planting riparian zones benefits the environment by filtering sediment and nutrients before they reach waterways. It also helps to limit livestock access if they are not already fenced out. Additionally, these plants can help prevent bank erosion, provide shade to cool water temperatures, and enhance habitats for native wildlife. Erosion from riverbanks contributes significantly to sediment in rivers, lakes and estuaries.
The main quantitative measures used in this topic are the recorded length of stream bank with riparian planting, and the number of plants planted (categorised as indigenous, introduced or other). Riparian strips in forestry areas can be recorded and reported.
Time (in hours) and money spent on riparian planting are included in the regional effort summary stats.
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Wetland protection
How this action contributes to improved water quality
Overview
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Wetland protection
Wetlands improve water quality by slowing down water flow, allowing particles to settle out. Plants in wetlands play a cleansing role that protects the downstream environments by absorbing nutrients and filtering solids, and adding oxygen to the water.
Wetlands provide essential habitat for a diverse range of endemic flora and fauna. Some of our endangered plant species depend entirely on wetlands, and many threatened bird and fish species rely on wetlands. Weeds are a significant threat to wetlands.
Wetlands can also reduce the impacts of flooding, as they can absorb heavy rain and help regulate downstream flows and ground water levels during periods of low rainfall.
It is estimated that only 10% of New Zealand’s historical inland wetlands remain.
The topic reports actions to protect or restore existing wetlands, and actions to create wetlands. The main measure is the area of wetlands recorded in a catchment as under restoration and under construction. It also reports the length of perimeter that is fenced and the length planted. Also reported is the area of wetlands under protection by QEII covenants.
Mapping existing wetlands is complex and can require ecological expertise. The wetland areas referred to in this topic are determined by the area under action, and are not intended to accurately describe the area of wetland in a catchment.
Time (in hours) and money spent on wetland protection, enhancement and creation are included in the regional summary stats.
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Erosion control
How this action contributes to improved water quality
Overview
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Erosion control
Erosion is a major source of sediment flowing into rivers, lakes and estuaries. Erosion control actions help stabilise eroding land, benefiting land owners and reducing flood risk, while also supporting freshwater systems.
There are over 1.15 million hectares of land that is classified as Highly Erodible Land which does not have woody vegetation cover and is outside the Conservation Estate. Two thirds of this land is within 5 regions: Manawatū-Wanganui, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Northland (MWLR analysis 2020). Erosion is a significant challenge particularly given the impact of extreme weather events.
The topic reports the area of land that has been retired or planted for erosion control, and has an “other” category to include emerging and innovative approaches. Details for this can be recorded in the stories section of the register.
Time (in hours) and money spent on erosion control efforts are included in the regional summary stats.
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Farm plans
How this action contributes to improved water quality
Overview
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Farm Plans
Farm plans are prepared for a farm, horticulture or forestry property to manage their environmental risks.
Farm plan reporting captures the area of land in a catchment that has been recorded as having a farm plan. The actions in the plans are reported in six categories (Land and Soil, Effluent, Water and irrigation, Waterways, Nutrient and General). These categories align with Good Farm Principles agreed by primary industries in New Zealand (Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Dairy NZ, Horticulture New Zealand, Federated Farmers, Ministry of Primary Industries, Ministry for the Environment 2018; Good Farming Practice – Action Plan for Water quality).
New requirements were introduced into the Resource Management Act (RMA) in 2023 for all farms over 20 hectares to have a Freshwater Farm Plan, but the national requirements for these are now on hold. It's expected that Freshwater Farm Plans will be rolled out over the next 2 to 5 years through either regional or national regulations. The reporting may need refinement as these Freshwater Farm Plans rolls out. However, the register also records all the historical work on farm planning so that the historical and current use of farm plans can be available.
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Action stories
How action stories contribute to improved water quality
Overview
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Action stories
Stories about actions to improve water quality from individuals, groups and other entities.
Stories are reported so the wider community can see efforts underway in catchments, be inspired and learn from others, as well as enabling catchment groups to connect.
Time and spend
The hours and money spent on all actions can be recorded in the register. This information is summarised at the regional scale on the landing page for each region alongside the number of organisations and the number of land management projects recorded.
Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring Guide
This guide lays out a monitoring framework to assess the success of freshwater restoration actions. Some actions will show results quickly, but restoration actions targeted at achieving long-term biodiversity outcomes may take decades for improvements to be seen.