Your river rating district

Across Waitaha Canterbury, flood protection and drainage works are carried out in 59 dedicated rating districts. These works are called scheme works. Learn how flood protection and drainage works are managed across Waitaha, how local committees shape priorities, and what’s planned in your area.

 Planned river scheme work: Download our monthly and annual work plans, and see our current operational updates on our current river works page.

How river scheme works are managed

The majority of the funding for these works comes from targeted rates, from those who directly benefit from the work.

Managing scheme works across the region is a big job, and we need eyes and ears on the ground to help us understand whether the current level of protection and resilience from flooding and erosion is being met, or if the district’s drainage network is being adequately maintained.

This is where our district advisory committees play an important role, helping our staff plan and prioritise scheme works, and providing feedback on behalf of the wider community.

RIVER RATING DIST Community runanga and ECan staff on the Waihi River

Managing the condition of regional flood protection assets

Asset condition is a measure of the physical state of the asset and is regularly assessed by staff. This information is critical to the management of these assets, including:

  • meeting the required level of service at a minimum cost
  • prioritising works
  • informing future planning for the scheme.

 Asset condition report: We assess stopbanks, drains, river fairways and berms, and these asset condition summaries are uploaded to our website every year. Download the River Engineering Asset Condition Report 2024 (PDF file, 646.48KB),

District liaison committees

The purpose of river and drainage rating district liaison committees is so that ratepayers can liaise directly with our team on matters relating to river control works and flood protection within these rated areas.

Large rating districts have dedicated liaison committees, whereas for smaller schemes, our staff engage directly with ratepayers on this work. Councillors and staff from regional and territorial authorities often attend committee meetings.

This helps clarify roles and responsibilities for managing such works, as territorial authorities (which include district councils and the Christchurch City Council) also have responsibilities in some areas.

Committees meet once a year, sometimes more, depending on what scheme work is happening in their area.

They provide us with:

  • information on the state of the river
  • input into staff recommendations on proposed works, budgets, and targeted rates for each district, with final decisions made by Council.

Annual reporting on the condition of scheme assets is also shared at these meetings to help inform future planning for scheme works.

See your local rating district

If you would like further information on liaison committee meetings, contact your rating district chair or local area engineer via the advisory team.

Where rating districts have chairs, their name is listed. Some rating districts do not have chairs.

See your local rating district chair

North Canterbury:

  • Kaikōura Rivers
  • Kaikōura Drainage
  • Conway River
  • Hanmer West and Upper Chatterton - Chair: Harley Manion
  • Waiau Rotherham
  • Waiau Spotswood
  • Waiau Township
  • Lower Flats Waiau
  • Waiau Bourne
  • Lyndon
  • Lower Hurunui
  • Pahau
  • Lower Pahau
  • Kowai River (Kowai Leithfield) and Kowai (North Branch) - Chair: Stephen Alloway
  • Sefton Township
  • Sefton-Ashley
  • Ashley River
  • Waimakariri-Eyre-Cust

Mid-Canterbury:

  • Little River
  • Halswell/Hurutini Drainage - Chair: Jim McCartney
  • Selwyn River/Waikirikiri - Chair: Geoff Heslop
  • Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora - Chair: Simon Manson
  • Rakaia Double Hill
  • North Rakaia
  • Lower Rakaia - Chair: Neil Brown
  • Ashburton River/Hakatere - Chair: Mike Salvesen
  • Ashburton-Hinds Drainage - Chair: Craig Fleming and Phil Everest
  • Greenstreet Creek
  • Buttericks Rd Drain
  • Chertsey Rd Drain
  • Dry Creek
  • Cleardale
  • Staveley SW Channel
  • Mt Harding Creek
  • Prices Valley
  • Upper Hinds River/Hekeao - Chair: Barry Austin
  • Lower Hinds River/Hekeao - Chair: Gary Wilson

South Canterbury:

  • Rangitata River – Chair: Rob Wilson
  • Ōmarama Stream - Chair: Bridget Spencer
  • Ōrāri-Waihī-Temuka – Chair: George Leslie
  • Ōpihi – Chair: David Moore
  • Twizel River
  • Esk Valley
  • Taitarakihi Stream
  • Seadown Drain and Seadown Road Drain – Chair: Wayne Kelliher
  • Saltwater Creek
  • Washdyke Creek
  • Pareora River – Chair: Hamish Collins
  • Kapua Drain
  • Otaio – Chair: Gary Johnston
  • Makikihi River
  • Waihao-Wainono Combined – Chair: Gary Rooney
  • Penticotico
  • Upper Waitaki Rivers

Not sure if your property is in a flood protection or drainage scheme? Search your address to identify your river or drainage rating district

Public meetings

Every third year (election year), a public River Rating District meeting is held where committee members are elected to represent their river rating district for the following three years.

We encourage all river rating district ratepayers and adjacent communities to attend these meetings, and we advertise them on our website and in local newspapers in each district.

 View the meeting calendar for details of our river rating district meetings, including date, time and venue for year three meetings.

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