Access

Mō ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers

Protecting your right to get on the river

→ Report an access issue ←

New Zealand’s rivers are public spaces, and getting on them is part of who we are. Whitewater NZ works to keep access to rivers and lakes open for everyone, now and for the paddlers who come after us.

Access is under growing pressure from development, private interests and changing land use. Without people watching and pushing back, the access we rely on can quietly disappear. Protecting and improving river access where possible is one of our core priorities.

A well-stacked “Sasha the Subie” running shuttle on the Rangitata gorge – Photo courtesy of Orion Junkins

What we do

We work to keep public access to New Zealand’s rivers and lakes open for all paddlers. We:

• Defend public access to whitewater rivers
• Protect rights of public passage on waterways
• Negotiate recreational releases with dam operators
• Collect data on river use (you can log your trips on RiverGuide to help)
• Support local access initiatives

Hit a problem getting to a river? Tell us.

→ Report an access issue ←

If you’ve had trouble getting to a river, we want to know. Access issues include:

• Blocked or closed traditional access points
• Poor access: rough roads, no parking, overgrown trails
• “No trespassing” signs
• Landowners withdrawing access that was previously allowed
• Rubbish, dumped cars and the like
• Tension with the local community or other river users
• Development that threatens access
• Hydro schemes affecting flows
• Fast-track Approvals Act applications affecting rivers

We actively monitor the submission form, an endevour to get in touch with you based on your report if further details are needed. If you want to follow up on your report, please reach out to us at communications@whitewater.nz.

Why report?

Your reports let us act early. We have resolved many access issues through negotiation, advocacy, and legal channels when needed, but we can only act on what we know about. Once an issue is sorted, we get in touch and endeavour to share updates on RiverGuide, through a news post/email, or via our social channels.

Report an access issue