We’re preparing a Catchment Plan for the Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment as part of implementing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. It will sit within the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan.
The Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment flows into Hawke’s Bay Te Mātau-a-Māui area and is known as the Wairoa & Northern Coast Catchments by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. What we do in one region affects the other. Tangata whenua and community interests also span across both regions. Gisborne District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are working closely together on this project.
Developing the catchment plan will:
- Ensure the mauri and values of waterways are recognised, protected and enhanced.
- Provide clear direction for sustainable management of freshwater in the catchment.
- Ensure residents and stakeholders have opportunities to inform how water will be managed.
- Ensure the interests and rights of tangata whenua are reflected in the plan.
Area Covered by the Catchment Plan
The Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment Plan area includes catchments that flow towards Hawke’s Bay Te Mātau-a-Māui and into Gisborne Tairāwhiti.
These catchments include:
- The Ruakituri, Hangaroa, Mangapoike, and Nūhaka River, and Kopuawhara Streams, which all form the south-western boundary of Tairāwhiti and flow into Hawke’s Bay-Te Mātau-a-Māu.
- The Pakowhai Stream that flows into Wherowhero Lagoon.
- The Maraetaha River beside State Highway 2 before flowing to the coast.
- Several smaller catchments located along the coastal margin between the Maraetaha catchment, State Highway 2, and the end of Mahanga Road (in Wairoa), including the Wharekakaho, Waikara, Tikiwhata, and Hauraki Streams, and unnamed streams.
Their total combined catchment area in the Gisborne Tairāwhiti region is 1,270km2, the largest catchment area being the Hangaroa (726km2), followed by Mangapoike (185km2) and Ruakituri (130km2).
Catchments Map
Timeline for the Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment Plan
By law, Council must have completed its catchment planning development for the whole region by the end of 2027. We are working towards the timeline set out below.
March - December 2025: Engagement with tangata whenua, communities, advisory group and stakeholders
February 2026: Consultation on a draft Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment Plan
June 2026: Public notification of Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment Plan and Section 32 Evaluation Report
Engaging on freshwater
Freshwater outcomes need to reflect community aspirations. The NPS for Freshwater Managment requires engagement throughout the National Objectives Framework (NOF) process and provides for community and tangata whenua involvement in implementing the NOF and decision-making.
Every regional council must engage with communities and tangata whenua to determine how Te Mana o te Wai applies to water bodies and freshwater ecosystems in the region. Te Mana o te Wai encompasses 6 principles relating to the roles of tangata whenua and other New Zealanders in the management of freshwater.
The Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment area is an area where several iwi and hapū rohe intersect and overlap. This includes Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Te Whānau a Kai, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Ruapani, and Rongomaiwahine.
Tikanga, mātauranga, kaitiakitanga and the aspirations of tangata whenua are essential for designing the values, objectives, limits and activities in the catchment plan.
Engagement with tangata whenua in the Southern Tairāwhiti Catchment is central to the catchment planning process.
We'll hold community meetings with residents and whānau from the catchment. All meetings are open to everyone.
We will update this section once dates for community engagement are finalised.
Overall community engagement will start March/April 2025.
We will set up an advisory group made up of tangata whenua and community members. Group members will represent people living and working in the catchment, working closely with Council in the catchment plan. The Advisory Group will:
- explore what Te Mana o te Wai means to the community
- identify issues and values of waterbodies in the catchment
- map freshwater management units (FMU)
- formulate objectives
- set targets
- set limits for water quality and quantity
- identify actions that support achieving objectives and targets
How to get involved
- Check for any open engagements - kōrero mai via our engagement portal
- Ask us a question - email the team at trmp@gdc.govt.nz
- Sign up for Council News | He Pānui - using this form.