Background

The Tuamarina River is a North-Bank tributary of the lower Wairau River, with a catchment area of 102 km2. Land use in the catchment is dominated by pasture on the river flats (mainly dairy) and production forestry on the lower hills and native vegetation usually at the higher elevations. In the lower parts of the catchment the river flows through the large Para Wetland.

Trend analysis indicates a significant decrease in Phosphorus and turbidity for the Tuamarina River, indicating an improving trend.