Braided rivers are a defining feature of many landscapes in Aotearoa New Zealand, yet they currently lack clear legal boundaries and are managed differently across regions. In December 2024, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) commissioned Lincoln Agritech to develop a consistent, national-level method for identifying and mapping these dynamic river systems.
This report brings together a consensus definition of braided rivers and outlines a practical approach for mapping their key characteristics. The method is based on peer reviewed science and has been validated through an expert workshop held in February 2025. The report is a tool to inform policy, but it is not policy advice, so it has not undergone the full independent peer review process we normally apply to material used in regulatory decisions.
This methodology uses national datasets to estimate river width and other characteristics, representing a step forward in improving New Zealand’s approach to managing braided river systems. The report discusses the limitations of this approach, including resolution constraints in national datasets, artefacts in elevation based modelling, and uncertainties in groundwater mapping at a national scale. For this reason, the mapping outputs should be considered indicative only. They are not suitable for statutory boundary setting without local scale verification.
We also note that the methodology focuses on biophysical data and technical methods and does not incorporate mātauranga Māori.
GIS files referenced in this report are available on the Riverscapes Data Exchange or upon request from MfE at infoatmfe@mfe.govt.nz.
Braided rivers are a defining feature of many landscapes in Aotearoa New Zealand, yet they currently lack clear legal boundaries and are managed differently across regions. In December 2024, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) commissioned Lincoln Agritech to develop a consistent, national-level method for identifying and mapping these dynamic river systems.
This report brings together a consensus definition of braided rivers and outlines a practical approach for mapping their key characteristics. The method is based on peer reviewed science and has been validated through an expert workshop held in February 2025. The report is a tool to inform policy, but it is not policy advice, so it has not undergone the full independent peer review process we normally apply to material used in regulatory decisions.
This methodology uses national datasets to estimate river width and other characteristics, representing a step forward in improving New Zealand’s approach to managing braided river systems. The report discusses the limitations of this approach, including resolution constraints in national datasets, artefacts in elevation based modelling, and uncertainties in groundwater mapping at a national scale. For this reason, the mapping outputs should be considered indicative only. They are not suitable for statutory boundary setting without local scale verification.
We also note that the methodology focuses on biophysical data and technical methods and does not incorporate mātauranga Māori.
GIS files referenced in this report are available on the Riverscapes Data Exchange or upon request from MfE at infoatmfe@mfe.govt.nz.