Zone management plans

This document provides an overview of river and catchment management within the region, and should be read alongside the ZMPs.  The document outlines:

• the nature of the region and the key issues we face in the future
• how river and catchment activities are managed across the region
• responsibilites for river and catchment management
• how river and catchment management relates to other activities
• the legislative and policy requirements for river and catchment management
• how links with the community are developed and maintained.

The Coromandel zone covers most of the Coromandel Peninsula, and has a total area of approximately 193,000 hectares. The zone includes all land within the Thames Coromandel District Council boundary, excluding those catchments that are incorporated within the Waihou-Piako zone including the Kauaeranga, Tararu and catchments flowing into Thames town. It also includes part of the Hauraki District Council area between Whangamata and Waihi.

The Lower Waikato zone consists of the Waikato River catchment between Ngaruawahia and the Tasman Sea.  It covers an area of 283,757 hectares, which is 20 per cent of the total Waikato River catchment area.

The Central Waikato zone consists of the Waikato River catchment between Karapiro Dam and Ngaruawahia and has an area of 64,000 hectares. The zone represents 4.5 per cent of the total Waikato River catchment area. The zone is dominated by the Waikato River channel and associated rivers, streams and lakes and is unique in that it contains the major population centre for the region (Hamilton city) and contains two flood control assets (weirs).

The Upper Waikato zone covers 436,000 hectares in the central North Island, stretching from the Kaingaroa plateau in the east to the Pureora and Rangitoto ranges in the west. 

The Waihou Piako zone covers an area of approximately 3,734 km², and is dominated by the Waihou and Piako river systems. It includes the catchments of the Miranda Coast up as far as Kaiaua, the Waitakaruru River, the Piako River, the Waihou River, the Kauaeranga River, the Thames streams and the Tararu Stream. It includes all of the land that drains into the Firth of Thames from Kaiaua in the west to Tararu in the east, the major portion of which is the Hauraki Plains and Thames Valley catchments.

The Waipā Zone has around 12 per cent of the total land area within the Waikato region, 17 per cent of the region’s population and contains around 20 per cent of the region’s native vegetation.

The West Coast zone covers a large geographic area of 425,835 hectares, or approximately 17 per cent of the Waikato region, stretching from Port Waikato in the north, to Mokau River in the south, and as far inland as Benneydale. Its rivers and streams drain a large number of catchments to the Tasman Sea. The zone encompasses three district councils; Waitomo, Ōtorohanga and Waikato; and overall has a low population base of less than 3 per cent of the region’s population.

Located in the heart of the North Island, surrounding Lake Taupō, the Lake Taupō catchment covers an approximate area of 349,655ha (nearly 9 per cent of the Waikato region). Lake Taupō is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand at some 61,491ha and comprises 17.5 per cent of the Lake Taupō catchment area.

The catchment contains significant geothermal resources, 11 other smaller lakes, part of New Zealand’s oldest national park and dual World Heritage area, and significant hydroelectric schemes.