Ecosystem health and biodiversity

Wetlands icon

Planning provisions that protect biodiversity values are included in Canterbury's regional policy statement and plans. 

Under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS), goals were set to help make a difference to our environment and how natural resources are managed. 

We report on progress on behalf of CWMS partners, who also protect biodiversity values through on-the-ground actions and funding, working with landowners and community groups. 

Here's how things are progressing against 2020 goals. View information on:

Freshwater species and their habitat

2020 goal: An upward trend in diversity and abundance of native fish populations.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

We have not identified key Canterbury species to monitor nor do we conduct regular fish monitoring to enable us to show if we are meeting the goal. The data we do have, however, show  that the native fish habitat and populations identified in the Department of Conservation's 2017 Conservation Status of New Zealand Freshwater Fishes continue to decline.

Highlights to date
Looking forward to 2025

Drylands

There is no 2020 goal for drylands.

Highlights to date
  • Te Manahuna Aoraki is a large-scale conservation programme restoring natural landscapes and threatened species across more than 300,000ha of the upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki National Park.
  • The National Wilding Pines Control Programme, of which Environment Canterbury has received the bulk of funding, is controlling infestations of wilding conifers in the Canterbury hill and high country.
Looking forward to 2025
  • Additional government funding in 2020 is contributing to further wilding conifer control work across the Canterbury high country.
  • CWMS partners are analysing the requirements of the new legislative requirements including the proposed National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, which will require protection of significant dryland ecosystems across Canterbury.

Wetlands

2020 goal: Protected all existing wetlands.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Wetland protection falls under the regional planning framework, however, we are unclear as to how many wetlands remain, nor the ecological significance of those that do. Practical aspects of wetland identification, management and restoration are being progressed, but Canterbury’s wetland ecosystems are still in decline.

Highlights to date
Looking forward to 2025

Hāpua, lagoons and estuaries

2020 goal: A significant protection and restoration programme is in place on the most ecologically significant river mouth or coastal lagoon in each management zone.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

A significant project is underway in nine of the 10 water management zones, but not every project is being undertaken at the most ecologically significant site. 

Highlights to date
  • Kaikoura zone: The survey of black-billed gull/tarāpuka along the Waiau Toa/Clarence River will assist in our understanding of faecal indicator bacteria concentrations in the river water in the lower reaches.
  • Hurunui Waiau zone: Environment Canterbury has undertaken work to improve understanding of factors affecting the water quality of the Waipara River. Environment Canterbury has also been undertaking work to assess the trophic state of hāpua using the Waipara hāpua as a case study.
  • Waimakariri zone: The Tūhaitara Coastal Park is managed by Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara Trust, which is working on several environmental rehabilitation projects in the area, including Tūtaepatu Lagoon and Pines Beach Wetland.
  • Christchurch West Melton zone: The Stormwater Superhero campaign has focused on working with the University of Canterbury on improving stormwater management through community engagement projects aimed increasing knowledge about, and solutions to, the impact stormwater has on urban waterways and the Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
  • Banks Peninsula zone:  A project to improve water quality in Te Roto o Wairewa (Lake Forsyth) aims to stabilise stream banks to reduce sediment entering the lake. Macro-invertebrate health has improved at some sites but declined in others. Monitoring results also show that some streams with good riparian protection are not yet improving.
  • Selwyn Waihora zone: Whakaora Te Waihora is an operational programme of the Te Waihora Co-Governance Group to achieve the vision: "To restore and rejuvenate the mauri and ecosystems of Te Waihora and its catchment" in two generations (35 to 40 years). 

  • Ashburton zone: A strategy to protect the Hakatere / Ashburton River mouth and hāpua was developed by Environment Canterbury and partners. Actions to protect nesting colonies from disturbance and pests will be undertaken over the next few years.

  • Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora (OTOP) zone: Milford Lagoon is a nationally important breeding area and nursery for fish. The OTOP Zone Committee is funding a project alongside the landowner to improve habitat for native species including the Secretive Bittern and native fish including īnanga species, by undertaking native planting and pest and weed control
  • Lower Waitaki zone: Work on improving water quality and habitat at Wainono Lagoon has received funding from the Ministry for the Environment through the Te Mana o Te Wai project.

Looking forward to 2025
  • Project partners will continue working on significant projects across Canterbury, including Whakaora Te Waihora and Wainono Lagoon. 

  • CWMS partners will continue investing in biodiversity projects, including projects that focus on protection and restoration of hāpua, lagoons and estuaries.

  • Environment Canterbury will continue to monitor and report on freshwater recreation sites annually.

Lowland streams and lakes

2020 goal: Increased the length of waterway with riparian management appropriate to aquatic ecosystem protection by 50% from 2010 figures.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

There has been an increase through significant investment in riparian planting and management by landowners, industry, and councils over the life of the CWMS. However, the length of waterway with riparian management appropriate to aquatic ecosystem protection has not been measured.

 

2020 goal: Improve condition and water quality in at least 60% of lowland streams and 60% of lowland lakes in each zone.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Lowland streams and rivers generally have low Aquatic Ecosystem Health (AEH) scores. The past five years of available data show poor water quality in around 39% of lower hill-fed streams and 67% of spring-fed streams on the plains. Some 19% of sites have shown a general decline, while 21% have shown an improvement.

Five lowland lakes are monitored for water quality in Canterbury and none meet the set water quality targets. Four of the five lakes are currently considered supertrophic (have excessive phytoplankton growth and supersaturated with nutrients), with Muriwai/Coopers Lagoon considered eutrophic (green and murky, with higher amounts of nutrients and algae).

Highlights to date
  • Most of the  biodiversity projects funded since 2010 have been dedicated to fencing and planting, the majority of them is in lowland riparian areas. These include Mt Harding stream and the Ōtūkaikino River.
  • Environment Canterbury provides data on the state of Canterbury’s waterways to the national database.
  • Christchurch City Council continues to work on improving water quality of its urban streams by managing and treating stormwater, for example through the Ngā Puna Wai stormwater retention basins and the Bells Creek stormwater treatment system.
  • Hurunui Waiau zone: Environment Canterbury has undertaken work to improve understanding of factors affecting the water quality of the Waipara River. Environment Canterbury has also been undertaking work to assess the trophic state of hāpua using the Waipara hāpua as a case study.
  • In 2017, Fonterra committed to a plan that will build on previous work to improve the quality of New Zealand waterways by farming within environmental limits, encouraging sustainable practises, improving water use efficiency, investing in science and building partnerships. 
Looking forward to 2025
  • CWMS partners will continue investing in biodiversity projects, including projects that focus on protection and restoration of lowland streams and lakes. 
  • CWMS partners will begin to implement new statutory requirements focused on improving freshwater quality. 
  • Christchurch City Council will continue with its work on river restoration, removing priority fish passage barriers and retrofitting with structures that enable upstream and downstream passage in streams within Banks Peninsula catchments. It will also continue working with community groups to monitor fish populations in waterways of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula and continue to restore waterways. 
  • Local governments will progress improvements to stormwater and wastewater infrastructure that have secondary pathways to rivers to reduce ecological damage to stream health from sediment and contaminants.  

High country foothill streams and lakes

2020 goal: All foothill rivers and high-country rivers and/or lakes either in good ecological health or better, or showing upward trend.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Monitoring shows that not all foothill and high-country rivers are in good ecological health. The Aquatic Ecosystem Health (AEH) grades indicate that around 32% of sites are graded good or very good. Some 25% of monitored sites have shown a general improvement in aquatic ecosystem health, while 24% of sites have shown a general decline. 

A 2020 Environment Canterbury report on water quality in the high-country lakes (PDF file, 10.3MB) indicated that our larger, deeper lakes generally have very good water quality. However, the water quality of the small- to medium-sized lakes is variable, with 10 of the 25 smaller lakes showing signs of deteriorating water quality.

Highlights to date
  • CWMS partners are working with landowners and lake users in sensitive lake zones in the Ashburton and Selwyn districts, with the goal of improving land management practices and water quality.
  • There are specific RMA planning provisions for the management of land activity around sensitive lake zones in Canterbury, in which resource consent is required for farming activities. 
  • Environment Canterbury is working with landowners to protect and maintain riparian margins. It is now a non-complying activity for intensively farmed stock to use and disturb the bed and banks of any lake. 
Looking forward to 2025

Understanding emerging contaminant risks

2020 goal: Understood any emerging contaminant risks and identified any at-risk areas for targeted management and a remedial programme underway.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Environment Canterbury undertakes monitoring programmes to assess the state of the environment; understand environmental status and trends and measure the effectiveness of policies and plans. 

Highlights to date
  • Environment Canterbury is a member of the National Advisory Panel providing feedback and sharing information with a range of organisations to identify which EOCs (emerging organic contaminants) are predominant in New Zealand's aquatic ecosystems and to characterise the risks they pose. 
  • Environment Canterbury is part of the All-of-Government working group investigating options to manage PFAS (per- and poly-fluro-alkyl substances). PFAS are film forming, lipid and water repellent, and resistant to biotic and abiotic degradation processes making them very challenging to manage once they are released into the environment. Many PFAS are bioaccumulative and subject to long-range transport.
  • Environment Canterbury regularly tests for metals and other contaminants during investigations based on potential presence and requires strict monitoring as part of consent conditions during construction, maintenance or remediation of potentially contaminated sites. 
Looking forward to 2025
  • Environment Canterbury will continue to conduct monitoring programmes and partner in research to understand emerging contaminant risks. 

Catchment nutrient loads

2020 goal: Achieved nutrient efficiency targets for the zone on all new irrigated land and 80% of other land in major rural land uses (pasture, major arable and major horticulture crops), and have 100% of rural properties working towards those targets (and of properties within urban boundaries that apply nutrients over significant areas).

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Nutrient efficiency targets on all farming activities are set as nutrient management rules in Plan Change 5 and sub-region sections of the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP). These rules set industry-agreed Good Management Practice (GMP) as the minimum standard for all farming activities on properties larger than 10 hectares. Primary industry sector organisations have worked together to describe what GMP looks like for different farming types. The LWRP requires the implementation of GMP on farm to achieve water quality outcomes.

 

2020 goal: Made progress towards achieving environmental flows and catchment load limits.

Has the goal been met?

Met
Partially met
Not met

Specific catchment load limits have been, or are being, set in sub-regional plans. Environment Canterbury continues to monitor and model catchment flows and loads.  As well as requiring farmers to operate within strict nitrogen leaching limits, they must also adhere to industry-agreed good management practices to reduce their impact on the environment. See also the progress made on Environmental Limits

Highlights to date
  • There are 7,400 farms in Canterbury of which 1,400 require a land use consent and 1,500 have an authorisation to farm as they are managed by collectives (irrigation schemes and farming enterprises) holding a consent. The remaining 4,500 farms operate under Permitted Activity status because their activities are of a lower environmental risk.
  • In the 2019-20 year, 1,097 Farm Environmental Plan audits were conducted, of which 93% achieved an A or B audit grade. An A grade means the farm is compliant and achieving GMP, while a B grade means the farm is compliant and on track to achieve GMP by the next audit, due to take place two years later.
Looking forward to 2025
  • Environment Canterbury will continue to implement work programmes to support good management practice.
  • Environment Canterbury will continue to monitor groundwater quality.

View all CWMS target areas