Taylor River Improvement Project

The Taylor River Improvement Programme was a joint initiative between Council and the Ministry for the Environment aimed at improving water quality in the Taylor River system and its tributaries from 2017 to 2022. It boasts very high amenity, recreational, and ecological values, including urban springs and rural and urban tributaries. The loss of riparian margins due to changes in land use, along with aging sewer and stormwater infrastructure that was damaged in the 2016 earthquakes, has led to a deterioration in water quality within the catchment.

The project planted over 55,000 native plants along the banks of the Taylor River and its tributaries, with 4.2 kilometres of fencing installed to protect riparian plantings, exceeding planting milestones.