We’ve divided the Waikato region into eight management zones based on catchment boundaries:

• Coromandel
• Waihou Piako
• Lake Taupō
• Upper Waikato
• Central Waikato
• Lower Waikato
• Waipā
• West Coast

Each zone has a plan to guide our catchment and river activities for that area. We also have harbour catchment management plans for Tairua, Whangamatā, Whangapoua, Wharekawa, Kāwhia, Aotea and Whāingaroa/Raglan.

Waikato Regional Council’s Integrated Catchment Management Committee, which is made up of 10 councillors and meets quarterly, has responsibilities that include:

• setting visions, goals and actions for catchment and river restoration work programmes (through zone and catchment plans) and providing a strategic framework for community-led partnership opportunities
• overseeing and monitoring the performance and effectiveness of catchment planning and management undertaken against agreed strategies and plans.

The committee has powers to:

• approve zone plans and catchment plans.

It also recommends the council’s operational action and partnerships regarding freshwater outcomes.

The Environmental Performance Committee, which is made up of six councillors and meets every three months, is responsible for reporting how our activities are giving effect to Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato (The Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River).

Did you know?

We are undergoing a freshwater policy review in response to new government regulations and direction. The review considers how we will manage rural and urban activities to ensure our freshwater bodies are healthy, including regulatory and non-regulatory methods. When setting policy such as this, we give effect to Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato (the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River).

We partner with iwi Māori to ensure catchment management reflects Māori values, knowledge, and aspirations for freshwater and land stewardship.

• Iwi play a key role in catchment planning through joint management agreements and co-governance arrangements, ensuring Māori perspectives shape fresh water and land management strategies.
• We provide internships to strengthen Māori participation in catchment management.
• Mātauranga Māori informs land and water management, complementing scientific approaches to river restoration, wetland protection, and sustainable land use.
• We work alongside iwi on riparian planting, erosion control, and habitat restoration to enhance water quality and biodiversity.
• Iwi contribute to catchment management plans, embedding kaitiakitanga and Te Mana o Te Wai, Te Mana o Te Awa in water allocation and land use decisions.
• We actively support iwi, hapū, marae, Māori enterprises, and land trusts in restoring catchments and securing funding from agencies like the Ministry for the Environment and Ngā Whenua Rāhui.

Through these partnerships, Waikato Regional Council upholds its Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments while fostering sustainable, inclusive, and culturally informed catchment management.