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Waitara

The Waitara catchment has an area of 1,145.5 square kilometres. It has two points of origin: the eastern hill country and Taranaki Maunga. These merge east of Inglewood, and the river enters the sea at Waitara.

The Waitara catchment is the parent catchment of the Manganui River, Maketawa Stream, and Ngātoro Stream, all of which are recognised in the Regional Freshwater Plan as having high natural values. Special rules apply to the Manganui River and Maketawa Stream.  The Waitara catchment is a highly popular and valued angling catchment, and is highly rated for its recreational, aesthetic, and scenic values.

There are currently 11 surface water take consents in the Waitara catchment, covering a wide range of purposes. Three are for community water supplies managed by local councils.

Four consents relate to the oil and gas industry—three for hydrocarbon exploration and one for petrochemical processing. Two are for irrigation: one for pasture and one for horticultural purposes. Both irrigation consents require water taking to cease when the mean annual low flow is reached.

The largest user in the catchment is for hydro-electric generation, with two consents for this purpose. Water is diverted from the Manganui River at Tariki and taken to Lake Rātāpiko, where it is used for power generation. It is then discharged into the Makara Stream, which flows into the Waitara River at Tarata. This diversion results in a significant section of the Manganui River experiencing no flow variability for extended periods.

There are also six groundwater take consents: two for farm water supply, two for poultry farming, one for quarry operations, and one for hydrocarbon exploration.

Water Use
Surface Water in this Zone

Regional councils collect information about how much water is available and manage resource consents for those wishing to take water from rivers and streams. Use the buttons below to view information on: how much water is available, where it comes from and how its used.

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Rainfall {{waterAvailable.rainfall}} Runoff to sea {{waterAvailable.runoff}} Surface Water available: {{waterSource.availableToAllocate}} Irrigation
{{waterUsage.irrigationLabel}} Industrial
{{waterUsage.industrialLabel}} Stock
{{waterUsage.stockLabel}} Hydroelectrical
{{waterUsage.hydroLabel}} Town supply
{{waterUsage.drinkingLabel}}
  • How much surface water is there in this zone?

    Rainfall and flow in this surface water zone

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    Rainfall and runoff

    Relative breakdown Source Volume
    Rainfall total:
    {{waterAvailable.rainfall }}
         		rainfall Rainfall Total {{waterAvailable.rainfall}}
    Runoff total:
    {{waterAvailable.runoff }}
         		runoff Runoff to sea {{waterAvailable.runoff}}

    The table above shows the average amount of rainfall the water management zone receives each year and how much of that flows out to sea. These are approximate figures only.

    Total allocated volume includes consented use only and no allowance has been made for 'permitted' use volumes.

  • Water consents: How much water is consented and used?

    Surface water available to consent

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    Consented water in this surface water zone

    Use the tables below to look at how much water is available compared with how much is actually consented within this water management zone. Click the plus to expand subzones where available

    {{item.zoneId}}
    Comparing consents and use
    Amount available to consent In this surface water management zone:
    {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}}
    available to consent
    Amount consented
    measured and non measured
    Amount used (measured)
    Amount Units Consented or used as a percentage of available
    Total available to consent {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}}
    Total consented {{item.data.totalConsented.amount}} {{item.data.totalConsented.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalConsented.percentText}}
    Total consented and measured {{item.data.totalMeasured.amount}} {{item.data.totalMeasured.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalMeasured.percentText}}
    Total measured amount used {{item.data.totalAmountUsed.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalAmountUsed.percentText}}
    Total measured volume used {{item.data.totalAnnualVolumeUsed}} {{item.data.totalAnnualVolumeUnits}}

    The table above shows the amount of water that is available for use compared to the amount that has been consented. The ‘Total Consented’ and ‘Total Consented and Measured’ fields are based on percentages of the ‘Total available to Consent’ field. If this field is not populated no data will be displayed. Some consents require actual use to be monitored and this is presented as 'Total measured volume Used' where available.

    Due to the large number of streams and rivers in Taranaki, there has not been thorough investigations into all of the streams. The available water is ascertained as and when required for consenting requirements and investigations. However the Regional Freshwater Plan states that a minimum of two-thirds habitat at mean annual low flow is to be retained to protect the life-supporting capacity of the stream/river.

    The Council is currently reviewing the Regional Freshwater Plan and when this is implemented allocation limits will be included.

  • Water consents: How is consented water used?

    Consents by use in this surface water zone

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    Consented water

    Overall annual volume for {{waterAvailable.year}}
    Relative breakdown
    Activity Percentage of total consented Total volume Number of consents
    {{item.displayText}} {{item.displayText}} - - No data available {{item.breakdownPercentage}}% {{item.totalVolume}} m3 {{item.numberOfConsents}}
    Total {{waterUsage.total.percentageConsented}}% {{waterUsage.total.totalVolume}} m3 {{waterUsage.total.numberOfConsents}}

    The above table shows the proportion of water consented for irrigation, industrial, stock, town supply and other. It excludes hydro electricity. In this region/management zone {{hydroUsage.totalVolume}} m3/year is consented for hydro-electricity and makes up {{hydroUsage.percentageConsented}}% of the total water volume consented for this region/management zone

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