Braided Rivers/ki uta ki tai - Canterbury CMS draft place
From the mountains to the sea
Braided rivers - with their wide gravel beds, numerous channels and highly variable flows - are a defining feature of Canterbury. They are geologically unusual and support plant and animal communities that are found nowhere else in the world.
Rivers like the Rangitata are a defining feature of Canterbury
Key rivers for Canterbury include the Tasman and other upper Waitaki basin rivers, Rangitata and Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau.
Several community groups focus on braided rivers; such as "Braid" and the Ashley Rakiura Rivercare Group.
We want to hear from you
- What do you see as DOC's role in the management of braided rivers given that there is little public conservation land within them?
- Do you have any suggestions on how to strengthen whole-community approaches to protecting braided rivers?
- How important to you is it that Water Conservation Orders on the Rakaia, Ahuriri, Rangitata are maintained?
- Would you support seeking international recognition for one or more of these rivers? For example: World Heritage Area status or as a wetland of international importance?
For more information
Email canterbury.cms@doc.govt.nz
Call a member of the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board - contact Canterbury Conservancy office to be put in touch with board members.