• ABOUT THIS PILOT REPORT CARD •

This River Authority Report Card summarises where we are on the journey towards meeting the aspirational objectives of the Vision • TE TURE WHAIMANA • and Strategy, Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato. The Vision is for a future where a healthy Waikato River sustains abundant life and prosperous communities who, in turn, are all responsible for restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River, and all it embraces, for generations to come. REPORT CARDS ARE GAINING POPULARITY INTERNATIONALLY AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL BECAUSE THEY:

• Use a simple familar format • Synthesise complex information into simple key messages for a broad audience • Engage the community and provide accountability for environmental management and restoration actions

THE WAIKATO RIVER CATCHMENT REPORT CARD •FEBRUARY 2016• • Builds on the analysis in the • This version of the Report Card has Waikato River Independent been populated using available Scoping Study information (e.g., regional council REPORT CARD • Framework was guided by an and scientific monitoring advisory roopu comprising programmes) and the best THE WAIKATO RIVER AND WAIPA RIVER representatives from five professional judgement of Waikato River . Waikato River personnel who have worked iwi cultural values underpin the in the catchment for many years Report Card framework (including Waikato Regional • Is structured around eight taura Council, Fish & Game and NIWA) (strands of a rope) that together • At the time of populating the capture aspirations of the Vision Report Card, primarily with

and Strategy (Te Ture Whaimana) 2012-2014 data, not all indicator This Report Card was developed by NIWA, Diffuse Sources Ltd for restoration of the health and information was available and the Waikato Raupatu River Trust. wellbeing of the river and its • Processes and underlying data people that underpin the on-going ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Each taura essentially equates to development of the Report Card a high level or “mega-value set” have been documented to allow Information for the report card was obtained either directly such as kai that support cultural, deeper investigation and support or indirectly (e.g., from website information) from the following recreational and commercial future report card updates organisations: Waikato Regional Council, Council, harvest. Each taura is then (anticipated to be five yearly). Council, Council, broken down into smaller Otorohanga District Council, Council, Taupo District strands or value sub-sets for Council, Hamilton City Council, Watercare, Fish and Game NZ, example koura and tuna. Below NIWA, DoC, Te Araroa Trail, Te Awa Trail, Waikato River Trails, this level are a number of and the Report Card Roopu involving representatives indicators that in combination from Te Arawa, Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, Waikato-Tainui and Maniapoto. can be used to describe the state We have endeavoured to use the information appropriately of each value sub-set and take responsibility for the scores derived. COMPASS LOWER WAIKATO Overall Grade N MID WAIKATO C- B D C+ W E C+ C C+ C C C- C C C+ C D C C C- C+ C+ C+ C+ C+ C S C- C C+ B- MAINSTEM TRIBUTARIES C+ C C C+ The water clarity degrades swimming all year, but bug level safe in bathing MAINSTEM TRIBUTARIES C+ season; diverse native fish (whitebait & eel fishing) but Water quality is safe for swimming only in B+ C+ pest fish prevalent, extensive drainage and the mainstem in bathing season; flood control degrades ecological integrity; macroinvertebrate indicators reflect degraded large wetlands present. conditions; good access and signage on C mainstem and lake, efforts underway to TUAKAU improve fish passage.

TE PUAHA B D C C * TO KARAPIRO TAURA & INDICATORS D C D C D C- KAI WATER QUALITY C- HUNTLY B- B C C- C+ Kai are healthy, and have a strong Land use and development LAKE C+ C+ C+ C+ whakapapa, are safe to eat, locally practices support water bodies WAIKARE LAKE ROTOROA C+ C C C+ abundant and can be harvested according that have water that is safe to NGARUAWAHIA (HAMILTON) B+ C to our traditional practices. physically interact with. D B D B Lake Rotoroa ecological integrity and D C C- C+ water quality degraded. EFFORT ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY D C- MAINSTEM TRIBUTARIES

Communities, businesses and Aquatic life has access to C- C- Water quality is safe for swimming in individuals are engaged in healthy habitats protected from the mainstem but not most tributaries; six HAMILTON hydrolakes with good access support recreation; comprehensive contaminant control adverse effects due to land use LAKE LAKE cumulative effects of farm inputs increasing; and rehabilitation to achieve the and contaminants. high degree of groundwater allocation; WHANGAPE WAAHI eels manually transferred from below Karapiro; Vision and Strategy. KARAPIRO high level of riparian fencing on dairy farms. Shallow riverine lakes have algal blooms, very poor clarity, pest fish, have lost WATER SECURITY EXPERIENCE submerged plants and kai species are degraded. Rehabiliatation plans initiated. PUTARURU Our land use practices and land We have a flourishing and nuturing development supports communities connection with the rivers and we are OTOROHANGA and taonga species having access to empowered to pursue and maintain * HUKA TO OHAKURI life sustaining supplies of water. our positive interaction. WAIPA ARAPUNI

Two additional taura were assessed at the whole catchment /regional scale only, due to TOKOROA lack of finer scale information. There was insufficient information to score Sites of Significance. A- C+ C C D C C- C+ C+ C+ C+ B TE KUITI ATIAMURI C+ B- B- C+ C+ C+ B- B- SITES OF SIGNIFICANCE ECONOMY C- C C+ C+ OHAKURI B+ C+ Our sites of significance are forever Communities are prosperous, as shown C- C recognised and celebrated as areas of by high levels of employment, housing historical and cultural importance and affordability, gross domestic product MAINSTEM TRIBUTARIES MAINSTEM TRIBUTARIES safe for us to interact with and support and income equality. a healthy Awa. D C- D B- C- A C B D C+ C- B- HUKA FALLS C C- C C+ B- B- A Delivers in full on the Vision B Delivers in part on the Vision LAKE and Strategy aspirations for a and Strategy aspirations for a TAUPO LAKE NGAHEWA healthy Waikato River. healthy Waikato River. LAKE NGAROTO LAKE ROTOPIKO Excellent rating. Good rating. Water quality is safe for swimming and good trout Water quality and clarity are unsafe for fishing; geothermal inputs have contaminated lake swimming in mainstem and many tributaries; * The upper Waikato River catchment grades are sediments and some tributaries; there are many high many lakes have good access and riparian draft and subject to ongoing work between Delivers on only some of the Does not deliver on the Vision ecological quality streams but nutrients C D vegetation but low water quality; Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, Te Arawa River Iwi levels are poor; high level of riparian fencing on Vision and Strategy aspirations and Strategy aspirations for a diverse kai species in tributaries. and the project team dairy farms; Ngahewa has degraded water quality. for a healthy Waikato River. healthy Waikato River. Low rating. Poor rating.