Upper Ruamāhanga River

Following Budget 2024, Greater Wellington and MBIE’s Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, Kānoa, have agreed to co-fund 16 flood resilience projects as part of a nationwide initiative. The programme spans 16 sites across Wairarapa and Ōtaki and are critical in future proofing community, infrastructure, cultural taonga and the economy, following a major flooding event. Find out more.

Eastern Rivers Crack Willow Removal Project

In October 2023, the Department of the Prime Minister (DPMC) approved $3.5m of funding for the ‘Recovery and Flooding Resilience Works’, aimed at flood protection projects following the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle. This funding has been allocated to catchments within the Eastern Hills and includes the removal of tree debris (predominantly crack willows, salix fragilis) causing blockages in four ‘Eastern Rivers’ in the Wairarapa: 

• Kopuaranga River
• Whangaehu River
• Taueru River
• Whareama River 

This work to remove blockages from these rivers is vital in mitigating the risk of rivers leaving their channels and moving across land, posing a threat to residential and rural areas. 

The Eastern Rivers Crack Willow Removal Project has been split into two phases to allow for seasonal accessibility: 

Phase One: 2023/2024 - Completed May 2024 

So far, Greater Wellington and local contractors have removed 214 blockages from the Kopuaranga and Whareama Rivers, clearing approximately 66km of river channel. This included the removal of 1,100+ trees. The resulting debris, predominately Crack Willow trees (Salix fragilis) is either being mulched or burnt depending on the season. 

Phase Two: September 2024 

The second phase will focus on all the affected Eastern Rivers and is expected to be completed by 30 June 2025. 

Debris from the trees will be mulched and any native logs will be preserved and gifted to mana whenua. 

River Road, Masterton erosion protection works 

The River Road, Masterton project has evolved from the initial planning within the Floodplain Management Plan (see pages 78 and 79) to now include protection at the Masterton District Council closed landfill.  Initially the erosion protection was solely centred around the residential properties, however now the erosion protection covers not only the residential properties but also the cemetery and the Masterton District Council closed landfill.

The project at River Road, Masterton is being completed in three stages. Stage one is the construction of six rock groynes (rock boulders) to protect the Ruamāhanga River from the Masterton District Council closed landfill. This work was completed in June 2023.

An estimated 3,000 plants are being procured for a planting programme at this project site. Rangitāne o Wairarapa will be involved in assisting with the planting activities.

Programme progress is being regularly communicated to partners and stakeholders (including iwi, Fish and Game, Department of Conservation, and Masterton District Council).

Stage two construction, which is a 150m rock revetment (wall) is to protect a number of River Road residential properties and starts where the Waipoua and Ruamāhanga Rivers meet (the confluence). 

The third and final stage is to protect the cemetery from further erosion. At present the draft design is for 11 rock groynes.

Major Rivers Riparian Management Project

The Major Rivers Riparian Management Project will plant approximately 100 hectares and fence 30km of riparian (riverside) land in the Wairarapa Valley. This will help to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and help plant and native animal life thrive. 

It’ll also create local jobs to:

• Help grow and plant over 150,000 seedlings
• Maintain planted areas for up to five years to ensure plants thrive
• Build or repair fencing.

This programme is funded equally by the Ministry for the Environment, through its Job for Nature programme, and Greater Wellington. It runs until 30 June 2026.  

Interested and want to find out more? Contact Riparian Management Advisor Malcolm Birch at malcolm.birch@gw.govt.nz for a no-obligation advice about what this programme offers. 

Major Rivers Riparian Management Project

A floodplain management plan has been developed for the catchment, Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga Floodplain Management Plan. The process of developing the FMP started in 2012 and was then led by the Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga Floodplain Management Subcommittee, which was established in 2014.The plan represents many years of investigating the most appropriate, comprehensive and long-term approach for managing the flood and erosion risks to both rural and urban land within the Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga catchment.

Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga Floodplain Management Plan

Read more here

date_range Published 01 Dec 2019

Download now (PDF 26 MB) get_app

The catchment has a long history of flooding.  Ever since human settlement began in the Wairarapa there has been a need for people to protect themselves and their property from the threat of flooding. This need grew greatly with increasing European settlement and more intensive land-uses, which has meant that protection from the harmful effects of the river has become a necessity.

During the 1930s settlers suffered damage and loss when the Ruamāhanga River overflowed its banks, washing shingle onto valuable pastures. The bed of the river had become badly choked with willows, restricting flood flows, and the channel was inadequate and of irregular alignment.

A river control scheme was implemented in 1953 and during the next 20 years achieved success in bank edge protection, river alignment and reduced the incidence of flooding along many sections of the river.

While our river management schemes continue to reduce the effects of flooding, climate change and ongoing significant weather events, mean ongoing maintenance and improvements.

Flooding in Ruamāhanga in 2002

During the COVID-19 alert levels, we worked to obtain funding from the government’s COVID-19 economic stimulus package. This includes funding of shovel ready projects through the Infrastructure Reference Group (IRG), the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), and other agencies. 

MfE Funding – Major Rivers – Riparian Management

A total of 17 funding applications were put forward to the MfE for a variety of environmental activities. The MfE selected two of these applications:

• Wairarapa Moana Wetlands Project
• Major Rivers – Riparian Management

The Major Rivers – Riparian Management application to the MfE was based on the Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga Floodplain Management Plan, specifically the riparian planting and fencing buffers.

This project will be spread over five years and cost $5 million. It aims to create 35 jobs with 120,000 trees (both willows and natives) to be planted over 100 hectares, with 30 kilometres of fencing. One of the main objectives will be to ensure healthy plant survival rates through pest animal and pest plant control.

Connecting with community and iwi groups is crucial to the success of the project, and we encourage anyone who has an interest in riparian planting to get in touch.

PDU/CIP Funding – River Road, Masterton

During the government’s COVID-19 alert levels 4 and 3, the Flood Protection department submitted applications to the Provisional Development Unit (PDU) for shovel-ready projects. The Provisional Development Unit is now called Kānoa - Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit. 

The successful application was for a number of Hutt Valley erosion edge protection sites, RiverLink (Lower Hutt) river works and Ruamāhanga River scheme River Road, Masterton edge protection works.

The proposed work for the River Road site is based on the Te Kāuru FMP major project response, with an extension of river-edge protection from River Road to (and including) the Masterton District Council’s closed landfill. The River Road projects will cost $2 million over two years, with Kānoa contributing 64% and we will provide the balance 36%.

We have signed agreements with our iwi partners to co-design and work together on this project. We are working on the geotechnical and initial design details.