Reanimating the strangled rivers of Aotearoa New Zealand

Contemporary management practices have artificially confined (strangled) river systems in Aotearoa New Zealand to support intensified land use in riparian areas. These practices work against nature, diminishing the functionality and biodiversity values of living rivers, and associated socio-cultural relations with rivers. River confinement can accentuate flood risk by promoting development in vulnerable locations and limiting the flexibility to adapt to changing climate, prospectively accentuating future disasters. To date, uptake of space-to-move management interventions that seek to address such shortcomings is yet to happen in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is despite the fact that such practices directly align with Maori (indigenous) conceptualizations of rivers as indivisible, living entities. Treaty of Waitangi obligations that assert Maori rights alongside colonial rights of a settler society provide an additional driver for uptake of space-to-move initiatives. This article outlines a biophysical prioritization framework to support the development and roll out of space-to-move interventions in ways that work with the character, behavior, condition, and evolutionary trajectory (recovery potential) of each river system in Aotearoa.This article is categorized under:Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and AwarenessScience of Water > Water and Environmental Change

Automated summary

Contemporary management practices in Aotearoa New Zealand have constrained river systems to support land use, which undermines the functionality, biodiversity, and socio-cultural relations with rivers. The confinement of rivers can increase flood risk and limit adaptation to climate change. Despite aligning with Maori conceptualizations of rivers and Treaty of Waitangi obligations, space-to-move interventions have yet to be implemented.