About the Rivers Group
‘Welcome to the Engineering New Zealand/Water NZ Rivers Group! – The Technical Society for people Working with Rivers.
We are a technical interest group for people who are passionate about the successful management of river systems across New Zealand. Our members include engineers, geomorphologists, hydrologists, ecologists, scientists, planners, managers and others who want to work together to create and manage river systems that future generations can be proud of. This is an incredibly complex challenge that often involves balancing competing interests and demands to achieve outcomes that will have lasting effects that shape the way we live.
The Rivers Group is in its 12th year and we are continuing to evolve to best deliver value to our members and the NZ rivers community. We are striving to deliver a mix of local workshops and networking opportunities along with our annual symposium which is a great opportunity for members and others to share stories about past successes and the challenges they are currently facing. I’d encourage you to get along to the local events and the annual symposium to meet others that share your passion of rivers and to contribute to shaping best practice in NZ river management’
Selene Conn
Chair of the Rivers Group
The Rivers Group was formed in 2009 to provide a forum for those involved with, and with an interest in rivers, flood risk management and the operational and environmental issues of catchments and river systems.
The Group incorporates a wide variety of fields and of practice and interest to do with rivers, including cultural health, water quality, water quantity, flood management, energy generation and environment protection, as well as promoting a multi-disciplinary approach for river management, that reflects cultural and societal diversity in an integrated and holistic manner.
Objectives
Key objectives of the Rivers Group are:
- To facilitate cross-disciplinary interaction between individuals, communities, professionals, as well as whānau-hapu and iwi involved in catchment management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, flood risk management and river management throughout New Zealand;
- To promote best practice, leadership and the sharing of technical knowledge in all aspects of catchment management, including flood risk management, river restoration and river engineering throughout urban and rural environments in New Zealand;
- To support and promote relevant science, research and Mātauranga Māori in river and catchment management and to disseminate that information among professionals, academics, decision makers, and the general public;
- To promote and facilitate input into local and central government policies, strategies, standards and programmes affecting catchment and river management;
- To assist in the integration of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in best practice river management.
Bellmouth spillway, Waitakere, Auckland
Petone, 1976 floods, Evening Post photograph