Project Start Year: 2025
The Waikato, Waipā and West Coast Erosion and Sediment Reduction project extends work to remediate waterways severely impacted by the weather events of 2022, 2023 and early 2026.
Ensuring channel capacity and streambank stability of these waterways is critical for reducing the risk from future flooding events, particularly as the communities living in these remote catchments can become isolated.
This project includes the implementation of soft and hard erosion protection, removal of obstructions from waterways, and riparian fencing and planting to help stabilise streambanks.
These works benefit the entire river system as they reduce local flooding impacts and wider erosion and sedimentation effects.
Benefits
This project contributes to the protection of productive land (predominantly dairy farms) and infrastructure (e.g. state highways, bridges, rail networks) from the impacts of large-scale flood events.
The hiring of local contractors also contributes to the local economy and employment.
Erosion control reduces the amount of sediment entering waterways, which helps improve water quality and aquatic ecology, while riparian planting creates habitat and food for native birds, insects and lizards, and shade for fish species.
Adaptation and resilience
Extreme weather events are expected to happen more often with climate change.
Proactive strengthening of streambanks helps to protect essential infrastructure, productive land and properties.
This work increases the resilience of the Lower Waikato-Waipā Flood Control Scheme, and the smaller schemes through Ōtorohanga, Te Kūiti and the West Coast Zone, by reducing the strain on scheme infrastructure.
Collaboration
This project has been co-funded through the Regional Investment Fund (RIF), Waikato Regional Council and landowners. Some specific works are also co-funded by the Waikato River Authority.
The Waikato, Waipā and West Coast Erosion and Sediment Reduction project delivers economic benefits by protecting agricultural land and key roading infrastructure.
The works provide benefits to river communities with some of the highest Index of Deprivation scores in the region (and country), including Kāwhia/Aotea, Te Kūīti, Tokonui, Tiroa and Ōtorohanga.
The project benefits the entire river system by reducing local flooding impacts and wider erosion and sedimentation effects, while also contributing to catchment and environmental benefits.
