We're engaging with communities to protect and improve the quality of streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwater throughout Canterbury. Decisions on water allocation and nutrient management are driven by recommendations from water zone committees in 10 areas. Find your water zone on the map(external link).
Wai We Care
Applications are open to join your local water zone committee. Hear from current members and apply now.
About the water zone committees
Water zone committees work with the community to deliver Canterbury Water Management Strategy targets.
Regional Water Management Committee
The committee was established in mid-2010 to address regionally-significant water management issues such as infrastructure and environmental enhancement projects.
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Kaikōura water zone
The Kaikōura water zone is one of the most tectonically active parts of New Zealand and features diverse landscapes, biodiversity and land uses over short distances.
Hurunui Waiau water zone
The Hurunui Waiau water zone features alpine rivers, the hill-fed Waipara and Conway rivers and the north Pegasus Bay coastal wetlands and coastal hills.
Waimakariri water zone
The Waimakariri water zone lies north of the Waimakariri River and extends from Pegasus Bay in the east to the Puketeraki Range in the west.
Christchurch West Melton water zone
The Christchurch West Melton water zone is home to spring-fed streams and rivers, aquifer zones, the Port Hills and the braided Waimakariri River.
Banks Peninsula water zone
The Banks Peninsula water zone is made up of eroded volcanic domes that have been breached by the sea. Its catchments are short, steep and prone to flash flooding.
Selwyn Waihora water zone
The Selwyn Waihora water zone stretches from the upper Waimakariri basin and the high country around Lake Coleridge down to Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.
Ashburton water zone
The Ashburton water zone is bordered by two large braided rivers — the Rakaia and Rangitata, which have their headwaters in the Southern Alps.
Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora water zone
The Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora water zone has hill-fed braided rivers and coastal areas with strong and complex links between ground and surface water.
Upper Waitaki water zone
The Upper Waitaki catchment is almost completely derived from glacial activity with features ranging from alpine ice fields and lakes to braided river plains.
Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury water zone
The Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury water zone features spring-fed streams, coastal lagoons, complex groundwater flows and part of the Waitaki River.
Looking for community support?
Information for community organisations seeking support from Environment Canterbury can be found on our Community support page.