Taylor River Improvement Project
Riparian Planting of a stream.
The Taylor River Improvement Programme was a joint programme between MDC and Ministry for the Environment to improve water quality in the Taylor River system and its tributaries. The Taylor River catchment was identified by State of the Environment (SoE) reporting as being a vulnerable catchment. It has very high amenity, recreational and ecological values comprising of urban springs, and rural and urban tributaries. Loss of riparian margins due to land use changes and an aging sewer/stormwater infrastructure damaged by the 2016 earthquakes, led to deterioration in water quality within the catchment.
The Taylor River Improvement Programme was a joint programme between MDC and Ministry for the Environment to improve water quality in the Taylor River system and its tributaries from 2017 to 2022. The project planted over 55,000 native plants along the banks of the Taylor River and its tributaries, with 4.2km of fencing installed to protect riparian plantings, exceeding planting milestone targets. The initiative was extremely well received and supported by landowners, and plantings are becoming well established.
