Riparian management

Fencing streambanks keeps stock out of waterways and vegetation helps to trap and filter run-off from pasture. Planting provides shading, food and shelter for wildlife and encourages biodiversity in rivers and streams. All of these aspects generally support water quality.

Taranaki’s Riparian Management Programme is believed to be the largest and longest-running environmental enhancement planting scheme on private land in New Zealand. It is transforming the Taranaki ring plain and has been recognised with a Green Ribbon Award from the Ministry for the Environment, and awards from the Geospatial World Forum and the NZ Resource Management Law Association.

Partnership the key

For more than 20 years the Council has worked with landowners to develop riparian management plans for individual properties – primarily on the Taranaki ring plain. The free plans detail recommendations for fencing and planting the property’s waterways, and set targets for implementation.

The Council contracts nurseries to supply native plants to farmers at cost. The Council can also arrange planting contractors to undertake the work if required.

Progress so far

Riparian protection status at September 2017. Progressively darker shades indicate increased protection.

Riparian protection status at September 2017. Progressively darker shades indicate increased protection.

• More than 4.3 million native plants have been supplied to landowners since the scheme began in 1996.
• 99.5% of Taranaki’s 1800 dairy farms have riparian plans. Across the whole region, there are nearly 2500 plans covering 14,500km of streambank.
• Planholders have fenced 84.4% of their streams, and protected 69.5% with planting. The programme will be largely complete at the end of this decade.