The Selwyn Waihora water zone stretches from the upper Waimakariri basin and the high country around Lake Coleridge down to Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. The vision for Selwyn Waihora is to protect its alpine rivers and high country values and restore the mauri of Te Waihora while maintaining a prosperous land-based economy. Te Waihora and its margins are a taonga to Ngāi Tahu due to the high concentration of mahinga kai, wāi tapu and wāi taonga.
The Waikirikiri / Selwyn Near River Recharge project
Recharging underground aquifers and augmenting stream flow in the Selwyn water zone.
Action on the ground
Check out what we're doing on the ground in the Selwyn Waihora water zone.
Meet your zone representatives
Find out who your water zone committee members are and meet your on-the-ground zone delivery team.
Zone updates, news and events
Check out your zone's latest stories, videos and newsletters.
Upcoming meetings and agendas
Find out when your zone's next meeting is and read the agenda.
Looking for information on Te Waihora lake openings?
Openings tend to be aligned with fish migration periods and other habitat values of the lake.
A word from your water zone chair
Read columns by the chair of the Selwyn Waihora water zone committee and view other updates.
Farmers' hub
Visit the Farmers' hub to find zone-specific farming information.
Your natural environment
Discover the natural environment in the Selwyn Waihora zone.
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View agendas and meeting papers
Use our document library to find water zone committee agendas and meeting papers.
Biodiversity funding
Find out how to apply for funding for biodiversity projects in your area.
What does the Selwyn Waihora water zone committee do?
The committee works with an on-the-ground team made up of Environment Canterbury staff and other Canterbury Water Management Strategy partners to implement water management work programmes in the Selwyn Waihora area. Sign up to our mailing list for updates.
Our partners include:
- Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu
- Selwyn District Council
- Living Water
- Waihora Ellesmere Trust
- Central Plains Water.
What are we aiming to achieve by 2020?
We've agreed on several areas of priority and outcomes to budget for and act on in the Selwyn Waihora water zone, which we will measure progress against to 2020. Use the drop-down menus below to see how we are getting on or download and read a summary (PDF file 1.34 MB).
Lake interventions
On-the-ground lake interventions relating to reconstructing wetlands, addressing legacy phosphorus and restoring macrophyte beds
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Good Management Practice (GMP)
Farming at Good Management Practice (GMP) or better, focusing on priority areas – Central Plains Water (CPW), Phosphorus Sediment Risk Area (PSRA), and Cultural Landscape Values Management Area (CLVMA), on all dairy farms, in the Kaituna and Silverstream catchments, and on farms in high country sensitive lake catchments
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
New sources for irrigation
Water from Rakaia River and Lake Coleridge is used for new irrigation, replacing groundwater takes and for augmenting lowland stream flows
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Ngāi Tahu values
The catchment is managed in a way that integrates Ngāi Tahu values across all outcomes and how these will be achieved
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Enhanced indigenous biodiversity
Enhanced indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem health in priority areas or ecosystems - Hororata catchment, high country, wetlands, springheads, braided rivers and Te Waihora
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Drinking water
All community water supplies meet New Zealand Drinking Water Standards and provide sufficient water to meet community demand
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Recreation opportunities
Enhance, where possible, contact recreation opportunities at key sites on the Selwyn River/Waikiriri and for sports fishing in the high country
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Community awareness
Raise community awareness of freshwater management goals and how these will be achieved
Not Started | Started | Progress | Good Progress | Achieving
Zone Implementation Programmes
Zone Implementation Programmes or ZIPs were developed in the early stages of the zone committees' existence, following the adoption of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.
While we may have moved on in terms of our priorities in each zone, ZIPs remain the foundation of the work we do.
The Selwyn Waihora ZIP and additional recommendations for the management of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, outlined in a ZIP addendum, can be downloaded using the buttons below.
You can also view submissions on the draft ZIP and a summary of feedback.