Catch up for coffee with your regional river group members

Date Friday 4 July2025

Time: 10.30am

 

Location: Wellington

Flight Coffee Hanger Café

 

Location: Christchurch

THE WELDER, 22  Welles Street

Council Conversations:

Let's connect, share an idea, talk about issues and work on solutions as a team. Followed by networking.

To join email rachael.armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

 

 

River Mouth Management

Date: 1 September 2025

Location: Wellington

Time: 9.00am-4:30pm (catering included)

Cost: $800 plus GST. Council staff $200 discount

Register by emailing: Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Spaces are limited!

 

Improving Outcomes from River Mouth Management

A full-day interactive workshop for local authority staff, consultants, researchers, and contractors.

This workshop will provide an interactive forum to deepen your understanding of the natural processes occurring at the interface between rivers and the coastline and the methods for managing river mouth openings.

Participants will collaborate to produce a shared learnings document for river mouth management. This will include how river mouth management fits within the overall flood risk management strategy for a river, the level of certainty that can be relied on and future challenges with increased rainfall intensity, sea level rise and more severe storm surges.

Please note: This workshop does not cover emergency management responses during an event.

Key themes

• River mouth types and issues
• Coastal influences
• Geomorphological processes
• Management options
• Decision making frameworks
• Monitoring and forecasting

Outcomes

• Improved understanding of river mouth processes
• Practical insights into management tools and execution

Workshop Agenda

• Introductions & Scene Setting
• Physical Processes
• Management Options
• Monitoring & Forecasting
• Outcomes, triggers, modelling, risk

Presenters

Kyle Christensen & Richard Measures

Options for economic assessment of flood mitigation

A one-day workshop for river managers from councils and non-council entities to improve understanding of options for economic analysis and their limitations in helping make informed decisions about flood mitigation for communities. It would be presented by Peter Clough with assistance from Mike Hensen, who both have experience of economic assessment of flood and other environmental mitigation.

Date 2 September 2025

Location Wellington

Time 9am-5pm (catering included)

Cost $800 plus GST. Council staff $200 discount

 

Key Themes

1. Understanding the Full Economic Costs of Flooding

2. Flood Mitigation Options and Where They Work Best

3. Finding the Economically Optimal Mix

4. Methods of Economic Assessment

5. Placing Value on Diverse and Hard-to-Quantify Effects

6. Case Study Session – From Theory to Practice

 

Presenters

Peter Clough & Mike Hensen

Spaces limited

To register email Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

 

Course Outline

This workshop is intended to give river managers a better understanding of how economic analysis can be used to inform choices between options for flood mitigation and help ensure better value for money from limited funds available. It outlines the full costs of flooding to better understand what can be gained from well-chosen flood mitigation, how an optimal mix of mitigation and other precautionary measures can be chose, then considers the different types of economic assessment method that can be used to compare those alternative measures on a consistent basis. After clarifying what goes into economic analysis and what it is trying to achieve, the workshop considers the methods available for incorporating in economic assessments the hard-to-quantity-and-value effects on cultural and environmental conditions and to account for uneven distribution of benefits and costs across communities. It uses selected case studies of economic assessments of actual flood mitigation schemes to illustrate the various methods used and uses discussion sessions with the workshop attendees to identify key questions with which to probe the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods and show how they can be used to inform decisions on flood mitigation options.

Contents

What are the economic costs of flooding?

• Direct costs of inundation – damage to property and infrastructure
• Indirect costs and “flow on” consequences – disruption to all activity, raising costs, reducing productivity
• Intangible losses for human well-being – fatalities, physical injury and mental stress, degradation of natural environment and loss of cultural and natural heritage
• Precautionary mitigation measures, such as costs of flood response and recovery capacity

 

What are the options for mitigating these costs and where do they work best? 

• Protect property and activity by reducing risk of flooding – stopbanks, adjustable weirs etc – depends on how well the protection engineering anticipates the size of future events and how the flood protection change land use.
• Accommodate flooding by reducing its severity – elevate buildings on stilts, raise power points – prevents building damage but does not prevent ground level or horizontal infrastructure contamination.
• Relocate to reduce risk exposure to flooding – managed retreat from high risk areas – a complex transition process that leaves assets exposed to flood risk until they are relocated.
• Transfer risks to where liabilities are more readily handled – insurance to spread risks – short-term solution with cost and feasibility of renegotiation dependent on frequency and severity of other flood events.

How to find the economically optimal mix of flood mitigation measures that minimises the combined cost of precautions and flood damage over time

How to assess the investment in different options of flood risk mitigation

• Identification and estimation of benefits expected from mitigation options
• Cost effectiveness analysis to compare the cost of alternative options with the same flood mitigation outcome
• Cost benefit analysis to compare the cost of programmes with multiple beneficial outcomes, all measured in dollar terms
• Economic impact analysis measures impact of alternative mitigation options on economic activity measures such as expenditure, employment and income generation

How to place monetary values on varied effects of flood mitigation options, and the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches

• Monetary valuation using market values and cost information
• Using non-market valuation for risks to life, ecological impacts, effects on unpriced recreation and cultural heritage
• Addressing inequities that can arise when relying on market values that tend to reflect the preferences of better off members of society

Case study session

Overview of recent business cases that have been made for flood protection and relocation

• Example of the history of two or three flood protection schemes to illustrate
• Why they were approved and how economic assessment informed the decision
• How effective they have been and what improvements could be made

Resilient Infrastructure: Riverine vegetation and weed species management

Overview

This two-day workshop is designed for practitioners involved in river management to build skills in managing riverine vegetation and controlling weed species within Canterbury's braided river systems. It will focus on best practices for balancing flood protection, biodiversity, and resilience through strategic vegetation approaches.

Workshop Format

• Day One (Classroom-based)
  Presentations and discussions covering identification, management strategies, and native species integration.
• Day Two (Field-based)
  Site visits based to several locations on the Waimakariri to observe practical examples of species identification, weed control methods, and native planting approaches.

Key themes

Braided river weeds in Canterbury

Willows. Tools and weeds.

Resilience, Adaption & Transition

Outcomes

A better understanding of braided river vegetation management

Who would benefit?

Practitioners practical level and engineers, operators, consultants and contractors actively involved in river management, or who have a specific interest in and experience of rivers and their management. Also relevant to Operations staff who manage delivery of multi-value community benefit or biodiversity restoration projects within a flood-protection scheme.

Presenter

Greg Stanley, ECAN

When

24 – 25 September 2025

Where

Epic Innovation, Christchurch CBD

Time

Two full days (9:00am-5.00pm) Exact times to be confirmed

Cost

$800.00 plus GST. Council $200 discount

Spaces limited

To register email Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

 

Course Outline

Braided river weeds in Canterbury

• Intro to braided river context. Different reaches and conditions.
• Intro to weediness- what is moving where?
• Intro to basic identifications and ID tools.
• Intro to native braid vegetation.
• Vegetation stature, groups and transitions.
• RPMP weeds and control in Braids.
• Large scale control program example
• Typical weed control strategies.
• What can successful weed control look like in river management?

Willows. Tools and weeds.

• Groups, tree and shrub willow
• Species, hybrids and cultivars
• Problem species. Examples.
  • Grey willow in adjacent wetlands
  • Purple willow in braids and behavioural changes.
• Control programs and outcomes.
• What can management look like in future?

Resilience, Adaption & Transition

• NbS & room for river considerations; weed impacts.
• Change and transition programs, work to change vegetation stability, diversity and cover over time.
• Balancing native vegetation with management demands
• Planting specifications for multiple values examples.

Recap, overview & open discussion.

Site visits to several locations where identification and control has been undertaken.

International Adaptation Futures conference is taking place this year in New Zealand for the first time.

This landmark hybrid event will unite over 1500 scientists, policymakers, and changemakers to collaborate on solutions for climate resilience and adaptation.

What makes #AF2025 unique?

• Indigenous Solutions & Small Island States: Dive into essential discussions tailored to these communities.
• Art Outreach: Engage with inspiring public art events showcasing creative climate responses.
• Regional Pavilions: Explore insights from Oceania, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
• Workshops: Connect at early-career networking events, plus sessions on managed retreats, Pacific responses, and more, hosted by leading New Zealand universities.

Arrive early for pre-conference events on 12 October or stay for post-conference workshops.

Limited grants are available for students, LDC participants, and Indigenous scholars to ensure broad participation.

Save the date and join us!

Visit https://adaptationfutures2025.com for more details, including registration, schedules, and participation options.

We look forward to seeing you in Christchurch—or online—as we collaborate to shape a resilient future.

 

Key Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Familiarity with key principles in fluvial geomorphology and their application to various river management situations (e.g., catchment (and regional) planning, sediment flux issues, and relation to flood hazards). Build familiarity with key principles in fluvial geomorphology and their application to various river management situations 

When

Monday 20 October - Tuesday 21 October 2025 TBC

Where

Wellington and Waikanae

Time

Two full days (8am-5pm)

Exact times to be confirmed

Cost

$950.00 plus GST for 2-day course. Council rate – $800.00 plus GST

Where to register

Email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Key themes

Management issues for which geomorphic insight is fundamental:

• Work with the river (nature-based solutions) – respect diversity, work with process
• Determine what is realistically achievable
• Be proactive, precautionary, pre-emptive – tackle threatening processes
• Risk management
• Integrated Catchment Management
• Active and passive practices (including the do-nothing option) – hard versus soft engineering practices … Role of maintenance (weed management)
• Flood management/protection versus ‘living with a living river’
• Managing river erosion
• Using sediment budgets to manage sedimentation issues (including sand/gravel extraction)

Spatial Dimensions of geomorphologically-informed river management

Catchment

• Fundamental geomorphic unit
• Longitudinal profile – source, transfer accumulation zones
• Network relationships (tributary-trunk stream pattern, flux)
• Connectivity relationships

Channel planform: Braided, wandering gravel-bed, active meandering passive meandering, discontinuous watercourse (wetland/swamp)

Channel geometry

• Downstream and at-a-station hydraulic geometry
• Size and shape

Geomorphic units

• Erosional and depositional forms (and process relations)
• Channel (instream) and floodplain
• Assemblages – and approach to analysis of morphodynamics, condition, recovery (Fryirs & Brierley, 2021)

Bed material size

• Bedrock, Boulder/cobble, gravel-bed, sand-bed, fine-grained
• Bedload, mixed load, suspended load

Temporal dimensions of geomorphologically-informed river management

Timescale: Geologic, geomorphic, engineering

Magnitude-frequency relations

Equilibrium versus non-linear relations

Legacy effect (landscape memory)

Processes of geomorphic river adjustment

• Balance of impelling and resisting forces
• Stream power, shear stress
• Resistance elements – role of riparian vegetation, wood, ecosystem engineers
• Entrainment, transport, deposition (Hjulstrom curve)
• Sediment transport – Bedload, suspended load, solution load
• Aggradation/degradation regime – Lane Balance

Evolutionary trajectory of rivers (and recovery potential)

• Relating character and behaviour (capacity for adjustment/range of variability) to evolutionary trajectory
• Scoping (modelling) prospective river futures to determine what is realistically achievable in management

Geomorphology and river health (condition)

What do we measure where, how and why?

What do we measure against?

Geomorphic relations to Māori conceptualisations of rivers

A living river ethos, mauri, mana, ora

How geomorphology can support river management (indicative only – set up follow up specialist courses)

Scoping river futures - Proactive and precautionary approaches to Visioning & Catchment Planning

Concern for treatment response

Geoethical considerations – concerns for social and environmental justice

• Risk management
• Integrated Catchment Management
• Active and passive practices (including the do-nothing option) – hard versus soft engineering practices … Role of maintenance (weed management)
• Flood management/protection versus ‘living with a living river’
• Managing river erosion
• Using sediment budgets to manage sedimentation issues (including sand/gravel extraction)

Presenters: Ian Fuller, Gary Brierley, Jon Tunnicliffe

Level One Asset Management Course

This course provides a contextual overview of the core elements of Asset Management (AM). Using case studies across different industries we will explore the benefits of Asset Management, required practices, lifecycle management, risk management and how to move forward on the AM journey. At the conclusion of this introductory course, participants will have a clear understanding of the key elements of AM and how to compile an asset management plan that aligns with organisational outcomes.

Syllabus

• Introductions and Course Overview
• Asset Management Overview
• Asset Management – The Organisational Context
• What is the State of my Assets?
• Valuing Assets and Understanding lifecycle implications
• Levels of Service – Do my assets deliver what is needed?
• Risk Management
• Lifecycle Management
• The Asset Management Plan
• Continuous Improvement
• Managing the AM Journey
• Summary

Presenter: Catherine Bayly 

Catherine is an experienced Infrastructure and Asset Manager. She has worked with and for local government organisations for over 20 years in NZ, Australia and the UK. Example work includes physical delivery of capital projects up to $300m, management of city assets, auditing AM competency of international water and river management schemes and most recently the design and completion of a national asset management system for the NZ Water Industry. Cath has co-developed competency based asset management courses in Australia which have been delivered to large scale asset owners including BHP Billiton, the defence force and the water industry. Cath has competencies in all elements of asset management and is particularly passionate about continuous improvement to efficiently deliver community services

When

27 March 2025

Where

Auckland

Time

9.00 am to 5.00 pm

Cost

$900.00 plus GST.

Council rate – $700.00 plus GST

Where to register

Email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Rock Design for River Works

Date TBC

Location TBC

Time TBC

Cost $500 plus GST.

Council staff $100 discount 

A workshop for designing rock revetments and groynes for River Works

A half-day workshop providing details of best practice methods for designing rock for use in river works. A high-level introduction to geomorphology will be provided for the purpose of understanding how rock works can affect river processes as well as key concepts affecting general scour design. A summary of tools for quantifying hydrological and hydraulic design parameters will be presented followed by guidance on when rock should be considered as a management tool. The design process will then be explained for rock revetments (rock lines) and groynes including general arrangement geometry, sizing, filters, and specifications. Examples will be provided of recent projects including where design/cost/maintenance trade-offs were considered.

Key themes

• Brief introduction to geomorphology – how rivers work.
• Outline tools for quantifying key design inputs – hydrology, hydraulics.
• When to use rock.
• General arrangement geometry for groynes & revetments.
• Estimating general scour (geomorphic change);
• Estimating local scour.
• Sizing rock using three different methods.
• Design of granular and geotextile filters.
• Key specifications for rock.

Outcomes

A better understanding of designing rock for use in river works.

Who would benefit?

Local authority engineers and asset managers, consultants and contractors actively involved in river management, or who have a specific interest in and experience of rivers and their management.

Presenter

Kyle Christensen - River Engineering Consultant

Spaces limited

To register email Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Northland Regional Council, through a NBS feasibility study funded by Ministry for the Environment (MFE), recognised early on that large-scale land use transition would be needed in the study’s Hydrological Catchment (Taumarere) to see a significant reduction in flood levels. As a result, the project focused on developing a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) using available data to assess the suitability of nature-based solutions (NBS). The MCA output identifies vulnerable locations in relation to instream erosion, steep slope erosion, and nutrient and pathogen pathways allowing the sub-catchment to be ranked. The mapping outputs provide spatially located NBS options (Forest & Native Vegetation Restoration, Erosion Control & Steep Slope Stabilisation, Catchment Management, Leaky Barriers, Silt Traps, Riparian Planting, Floodplain Connection & Restoration, Wetland Restoration) at a 1m resolution, covering the entire catchment.

This MCA serves as a key tool for landowners interested in restoration mahi, helping them identify options for their whenua and connecting them to funding opportunities and support networks. Additionally, it facilitates a structured workflow from site selection and monitoring to funded restoration projects for private landowners.

To register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UozSfIC4Q563mg2KLBp6wg

Severe flooding from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie between December 2022 and January 2023 caused significant damage to the Great Northern Highway at Fitzroy Crossing in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The Fitzroy River Bridge and 500 metres of road were heavily impacted, severing access to Indigenous communities and cutting off a vital link between East Kimberley, Northern Territory, and the wider State and National Road network.

Recognising the critical importance of restoring this connection, Main Roads WA prioritised the construction of a new bridge and access roads within the shortest practical timeframe. As part of the Fitzroy Bridge Alliance with Georgiou and BMD Group, BG&E played a key role in delivering this project, contributing bridge design services and sustainability initiatives across four key areas:

• Sustainable social and economic outcomes – maximising local workforce participation and creating employment and business opportunities.
• Community partnerships – working closely with the local community to ensure meaningful engagement.
• Resilience – designing a structure that can withstand extreme flood events, contributing to a stronger Kimberley.
• Resource efficiency – tracking material inputs and outputs, testing local aggregates, and reusing surplus materials to support future regional projects.

The Fitzroy River Bridge officially opened to traffic in December 2023 – more than six months ahead of schedule – reconnecting East and West Kimberley. Beyond restoring critical infrastructure, the project leaves a lasting legacy of skills development, economic opportunities, and strengthened resilience for the Fitzroy Crossing community.

Click here to register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OncOm9w4T8CUkL7FK8-cvw

Presenter: Sima Safarkhani

Sima has over 20 years of experience in the design and construction of infrastructure projects, including roads and highways, bridges, railways, dams, and urban developments. She is currently a Senior Flood Engineer at BG&E in Perth, Australia. Sima led the flood assessment and waterway design for the Fitzroy River Bridge Reconstruction Project.

Enhancing land use practices in New Zealand for flood protection, erosion prevention, and improved catchment management

• Highlighting the importance of sustainable land use practices to address flood risks, erosion, and water management
• Exploring flood-prone regions in New Zealand and their vulnerability and discussing the concept of land use planning for flood protection
• Discussing effective erosion control measures, such as reforestation and riparian buffers
• Discussing catchment management and water quality. Highlight sustainable land use practices that minimise runoff and pollution

Click here to register

Presenter: Daniel Harrison – Director – Operations Taranaki Regional Council

In his role as Director – Operations at Taranaki Regional Council, Daniel is responsible for river and flood control, sustainable land management, biodiversity, biosecurity, and regional gardens. Prior to starting his current role in 2020, Daniel spent 12-years as a regional council river, drainage, and flood control practitioner in Canterbury and Taranaki. Daniel started his career in local government in 2006 as a consents planner. Daniel is an active member of the NZ regional council River Managers’ Special Interest Group (SIG), representing River Managers on the NZ Poplar and Willow Research Trust; and is the deputy convenor of the NZ regional council Biomanagers (biodiversity and biosecurity managers) SIG.

In February 2023 the east coast of Te Ika-a-Māui/ the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand was severely impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle (ETC Gabrielle), leaving a trail of destruction and 9 fatalities. The east coast has a relatively high level of exposure to the impacts of decaying ex-tropical cyclones that move south out of Melanesia/ western Polynesia, often tracking across Hawke’s Bay. ETC Gabrielle was particularly intense with sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea playing a part in maintaining that intensity. It’s speed and track brought unprecedented wind, rain and waves/ storm surge - some rain gauges recorded in excess of 500mm in 24 hours and peak intensities in excess of 50mm/hour. Accordingly the damage associated with this event was catastrophic for parts of Hawke’s Bay, in some places shifting residential buildings off their foundations and in other places completely burying houses in silt.

In the weeks following that event central Government instructed local councils to categorise the risk of continued occupation of impacted residential properties, with the highest risk subject to a voluntary Crown ‘buy-out’. PDP was engaged by HBRC to assist with that categorization and in particular that highest risk Category 3 delineation, based on the broad ‘risk to life’ consideration that were so dramatically highlighted with the event – the depth of flooding, velocity, rate of rise, entrained silt and debris volumes. It also included a range of other considerations – geographic features that concentrate the hazard, the availability of safe egress and the complexity of the hazard. The work culminated with the identification of close to 300 Category 3 residential properties subject to voluntary buy-out and the confirmation of around $200M in funding (excluding insurance payouts). The presentation will provide a summary of that work and highlight some of the challenges associated with it.

Ramon is a river engineer with over thirty years’ experience in the field of civil engineering and has just short of 20 years’ experience in regional sector leadership roles mainly with Otago and Manawatu-Whanganui (Horizons). He’s a Chartered Professional Engineer and current part of the NZ Society on Large Dams management committee.