Local projects and priorities

You wouldn’t pour soapy suds, paint or petrol in the river, right? What about tipping in some trash, metal, dust, or dog poo?

Thought not, but when it rains or we wash stuff outside, the things we leave behind end up in our rivers, streams and sea.

Contaminants can travel, untreated, through the stormwater system, making the water in our rivers and sea unsafe for recreation and polluting the habitat of plants, fish and wildlife.

It's not hard to protect our waterways, here are some simple steps.

We are working with the Christchurch West Melton Water Zone Committee, Christchurch City Council, local rūnanga, and community groups and organisations to improve waterway health in this catchment.

Read more about the Heathcote River/Ōpāwaho catchment.

We’re supporting the Avon Ōtākaro Network in the catchment and carrying out the following projects.

Find out more about the Avon River/Ōtākaro catchment.

The Pūharakekenui | Styx River is a spring-fed waterway located on the northern edge of Christchurch. As the city continues to expand, protecting this unique freshwater ecosystem from pollution and urban pressures has become increasingly important.

Protecting and restoring Pūharakekenui

We're working alongside the Styx Living Laboratory Trust to improve the health of the river and its catchment.

For more than 25 years, the Trust has led community-driven efforts to restore the Pūharakekenui / Styx River. Volunteers have contributed through monthly water-quality and bird monitoring, riparian planting days, and ongoing habitat restoration.

Project Kōtare — Accelerating river restoration

In 2021, the Trust received Freshwater Improvement Fund support from the Ministry for the Environment to expand its work through Project Kōtare. This five-year initiative employs a team of 10 staff focused on large-scale river restoration, including:

• native planting and weed control
• fencing and sediment management
• community engagement and education programmes
• school and business partnerships
• research into water quality and sediment sources.

Together, these efforts aim to restore the ecological health of the Pūharakekenui / Styx River and ensure it continues to thrive as a living laboratory for future generations.

Find out more about the Styx River Living Laboratory Trust

We support the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust with an annual grant, staff liaison and a councillor on its board.

The Trust has a Memorandum of Understanding with us and the Christchurch City Council, who are currently helping fund the development of an Ecological Management Plan for the Estuary.

Representatives from the trust and councils organisations meet regularly to discuss significant issues and the implementation of the Ihutai Management Plan.

The Avon-Heathcote Estuary/Ihutai is the receiving environment for the Heathcote River/Ōpāwaho and the Avon River/Ōtākaro.