Waikato River Authority releases Five Year Report 

The Waikato River Authority has delivered a Five Year Report to the Crown and Waikato River Iwi on its effectiveness and progress to restore and protect the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

The 80 page document is being released today.

As well as assessing  the effectiveness of the Authority, the Report also contains a summarised analysis by NIWA of trends for selected indicators of Waikato River health. The NIWA report shows that despite the many actions that have been taken to improve the health of the Waikato River, ‘deteriorating’ and ‘as likely improving as deteriorating’ trends dominate the analysis.

Co-Chairs Tipa Mahuta and Paula Southgate say while the Authority has clearly had areas of success, which are detailed in the Report, it is also acknowledged that much more needs to be done to restore and protect the river catchment.

The Co-Chairs say there is continued confidence in the Restoration Strategy for the Waikato River and Waipā River providing guidance and a blueprint for the most effective restoration initiatives. 

The Five Year Report details some key outcomes for the Authority, including overseeing the planting of two million native trees and shrubs, the fencing of 400 kilometres of waterways and the involvement of more than 10,000 people in restoration focused community events.

The Report also marks the ten year anniversary of the Waikato River Authority.

The Co-Chairs say while they are conscious a lot has been achieved in the last ten years there is a need to continue to push harder. “We have talked about an 80-year time frame to see significant improvements in the rivers and catchment. Even this period is too long to wait for some and so we can’t afford to be complacent.” 

The Waikato River Authority Five Year Report is available at www.waikatoriver.org.nz/wra-key-documents

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