Catchment management is NRC responsibility

In the wake of last year’s serious floods and last month’s storm, the Far North District Council is seeking to remove confusion around the issue of responsibility for the management of waterways.


New Zealand’s 12 regional councils absorbed the functions of catchment boards

(their geographical boundaries were based on the old catchment board districts) at the time of the 1989 local government reforms.

This means the Northland Regional Council is responsible for catchment management as described in Section 126 of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Act 1941 below:

General powers of Catchment Boards
It shall be a function of every catchment board to minimise and prevent damage within its district by floods and erosion.
Each board shall have all the powers, rights and privileges as may reasonably be necessary or expedient to enable it to carry out its functions, and in particular each board shall have power to construct, reconstruct, alter, repair, and maintain all such works and do and execute all such other acts and deeds including the breaching of any stopbank as may in the opinion of the board be necessary or expedient for:
Controlling or regulating the flow of water towards and into watercourses,
Controlling or regulating the flow of water in and from watercourses,
Preventing or lessening any likelihood of the overflow or breaking of the banks of any watercourse,
Preventing or lessening any damage which may be occasioned by any such overflow or breaking of the banks’
Preventing or lessening erosion or the likelihood of erosion,
Promoting soil conservation.