Upper Hutt, Awakairangi Park

The riverbank along popular Awakairangi Park has been eroding. To fix this problem and protect the riverbank and park from disappearing, we’ve been doing work in the river.

When we began this project in January 2023, we found this section of river held lots of sediment (small particles of sand and dirt). We want to minimise the sediment entering Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River – so we paused this project right away and collaborated with key partners to update our plan for this site.

To minimise sediment, we’ve installed two large bunds (gravel mounds) downstream from the work site to help filter sediment. This will help limit the sediment in the waterway, but won’t eliminate all of it.

We’ve also started ending work at 3.30pm each day to give time for sediment to settle, so the river can be used for recreation in the evenings. 

We’ll wrap up this erosion protection project by mid-April, so please bear with us while finish this essential work. 

Here’s a photo of Te Awa Kairangi eroding the riverbank at Awakairangi Park: