Advice and information
Private and public land
Greater Wellington staff are available to advise landowners and community groups around the region about how to look after streams in a way that improves habitat in the stream and the wider streamside environment.
We have a series of booklets about biodiversity that are available free and that can be downloaded from the restoring natural heritage page.
If you'd like specific information about streams on your property or neighbourhood, staff can come and give advice about what and where to plant in the streamside areas, and how to look after planted areas. If requested, staff can help landowners prepare a streamside management plan.
Help for community groups
Greater Wellington has established the Take Care programme to help community groups wanting to rehabilitate or restore:
- rivers and streams
- wetlands
- estuaries
- dunes and the coast.
Any non-profit group can apply. The application round is advertised in all local newspapers each September. Preference is given to projects that:
- help the environment over the long term
- aim to become self-supporting
- promote community involvement
- help people take more responsibility for caring for the environment.
For more information about Take Care, the Community Environmental Care Programme, go to Get involved on this website, contact the Take Care co-ordinator at 0800 496 734 or email caregroups@gw.govt.nz.
Private landowners
As well as providing advice to landowners, Greater Wellington can provide financial assistance to landowners if the stream is in a catchment in the Streams Alive programme.
The twelve catchments in the Streams Alive programme have high ecological value but streamside conditions in some areas of the catchment could be compromising the condition of the stream’s habitat. Improving stream habitat in degraded areas is vital for the health of the stream ecosystem.
For Streams Alive catchments, Greater Wellington will support landowners by covering the cost of plants, planting and weed control for two years. After that, the plants are the responsibility of the landowners. If there is stock on the property, streams must be fenced from stock access before funding is made available.
For more information about the Streams Alive programme, contact the land management officer - biodiversity at 0800 496 734 or email riparian@gw.govt.nz.