Riparian Planting

Enhancing and protecting our valuable water resource is important for New Zealand. It benefits everyone who uses water for drinking, as well as economic, recreational, aesthetic, ecological and cultural activities. Creating riparian zones, where trees are planted beside waterways and areas are fenced, is a fundamental way to restore the health of our water.

What are riparian zones?

Riparian zones are the strips of land beside drains, streams, rivers and lakes. They include areas on-farm where the soils are wettest, such as wetlands, springs or seeps and gullies.

When fenced and planted, riparian zones maintain and improve water quality on your farm. They function like a sieve, helping to filter out and reduce sediment and nutrients into waterways.

What are the benefits of riparian planting?

• Fencing and planting add capital value to your farm
• Mature riparian plantings provide shade to cut weed growth and reduce water temperature
• Well-managed riparian zones prevent stock from getting stuck or drowning in waterways, providing more shade and make it easier to manage stock
• Less sediment means less cost for drain clearing and less risk of flooding
• Reducing nutrients into waterways decreases weed growth and improves water quality and biodiversity – better swimming and fishing
• Riparian zones stabilise land, limiting loss through erosion