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 zone committee has supported funding several biodiversity enhancement projects in the Ōtūkaikino Stream area.

Find out more about the Ōtūkaikino catchment.

The Styx River is a spring-fed ecosystem situated on the northern edge of Christchurch city.

As the city grows and the Styx is surrounded by urban areas, the challenge is to protect it from pollution.

The water zone committee and Environment Canterbury are supporting the Styx River Living Laboratory Trust with work in the area.

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.