Kaituna River and Ongotoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy
The Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy was developed with the community in 2009. The vision identified in the Strategy is:
“to ensure that as a wider community our policies and plans, our activities and actions celebrate and honour Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary life as taonga – Whakanuia, whakamawawatia te mauri o te Kaituna me Ongatoro hei taonga.”
Information on the Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy
The Regional Council has a number of projects that help implement the Strategy, including the Kaituna River Re-diversion Ongatoro/Maketū Estuary Enhancement Project.
Project goal and objectives
The goal of the Kaituna River Re-diversion Ongatoro/Maketū Estuary Enhancement Project is to significantly increase the volume of water (particularly fresh water) flowing from the Kaituna River into Ongatoro/Maketū Estuary by 2018 in a way that maximises the ecological and cultural benefits (particularly wetlands and kaimoana) while limiting the economic cost and adverse environmental effects to acceptable levels.
Project objectives
1. To work in an open, transparent and fair way that engages tangata whenua, the local community and other stakeholders and recognises their views and aspirations.
2. To determine the optimal path, volume and configuration of a Kaituna River re-diversion option that maximises ecological and cultural benefits while limiting economic costs and environmental effects to acceptable levels by modelling, expert advice, published literature and of pre-consent community consultation by February 2014.
3. To determine the optimal location, size, function, cost and restoration potential of at least 20 hectares of new wetlands to be created during the implementation of the re-diversion by February 2014.
4. To lodge applications for any consents, designations or other permissions required to achieve the project goal by June 2014.To obtain all consents, designations, permissions and land required to achieve the project goal by October 2015, subject to legal processes.To begin the staged implementation of consented works by October 2015.
5. To complete consented capital works by June 2018, subject to completing consenting and land acquisition processes.
6. To seek opportunities to achieve the non-funded actions in the Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy through other council programmes or partnerships without compromising achievement of objectives 1 to 7, where such opportunities arise.
7. To report publicly on progress against all actions in the Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy by 31 August each year.
The four key outcomes sought are:
- Improve water quality
- Restore healthy ecosystems
- Ensure sustainable resource use
- Support kaitiakitanga and local people’s stewardship
Timeline of lower Kaituna River history and current project processes

Resource consent documents
Resource consent and land designation decision documents
- Decision of the Environment Court 18 May 2016 (10.8MB, pdf)
- Resource Consent and Notice of Requirement decision report 1 July 2015 (550KB, pdf)
- Resource consent conditions 1 July 2015 (220KB, pdf)
- Land designation conditions 1 July 2015 (80KB, pdf)
Plans
- Designation plan (PDF 4.1MB)
- Plan 1 – proposed construction works (PDF 21.41MB)
- Plan 2 – proposed Ford Rd realignment (PDF 10.43MB)
- Plan 3 – proposed Ford Rd realignment cross-sections part 2 (1.16MB, pdf)
- Plan 4 – proposed Ford Rd realignment cross-sections part 3 (1.15MB, pdf)
- Plan 5 – proposed culvert installations (5.06MB, pdf)
- Plan 6 – Fords loop channel plan (6.8MB, pdf)
- Plan 7 – proposed channel and exiting Ford’s cut channel remedial works (9.55MB, pdf)
- Plan 8 – proposed channel and existing Fords cut cross sections part 1 (1.24MB, pdf)
- Plan 9 – proposed channel and existing Fords cut cross sections part 2 (1.19MB, pdf)
- Plan 10 – land use plan (14.4MB, pdf)
- Plan 11 – Papahikahawai Island remediation plan (10.3MB, pdf)
- Land Use Plan