News

[Updated: 13 December] On Thursday 29 November, some Otago kayakers enjoyed test flows on the Scott Shipley-designed course on the Hawea River. Several more weeks of commissioning work are anticipated….

2012-10-27T11:12:13+13:00 Kayaking meets enduro! A 6hr endurance kayak event on Saturday 15 December at Okere Falls on the Kaituna River. Mixed teams of three (minimum of 1 female on each…

There will be no access to the Upper Kakapotahi and Lower Kakapotahi from New Year’s until at least the start of April 2013. The owners of the Mikonui Forest have…

2012-10-23T10:00:00+13:00 (23 October) QLDC advises that Skippers Road has re-opened (/ht kayakjb). (14 September) Access to the upper Shotover river sections has been disrupted by a major road slip at…

2012-09-22T09:46:28+12:00 Genesis Energy have advised that due to low flows the Whakapapa recreational release scheduled for this Saturday (22nd September 2012) has been cancelled due to low flows. As no…

The Hurunui Water Project has applied for resource consents for a revised and expanded hydro and irrigation scheme focussed on the Waitohi River. Previous plans proposed an 85m dam on…

2012-08-19T10:15:34+12:00 Whitewater NZ held a successful Annual General Meeting in Christchurch on 28 July 2012. The meeting was well attended and there was excellent commitment by various clubs from around…

2012-07-17T19:14:50+12:00 The Greymouth Star reports the West Coast Conservation Board has voted to request inclusion of the Mōkihinui River in the Kahurangi National Park. The board will ask the New…

2016-03-05T16:41:20+13:00 Pirongia kayaker Sean Curtis, 20, drowned on Wednesday 2 March after getting into difficulties on the Collier’s Gorge section of the Whitcombe River. He was submerged for 20 minutes…

2016-02-14T21:07:43+13:00 The crowd-funded kayaking documentary Rivering New Zealand premiere showings will be held in Christchurch (3 March), Auckland (17 March) and Okere Falls (19 March). Rivering has been led by…

2015-12-22T12:10:15+13:00 Whitewater NZ has joined with Fish & Game NZ, Fish & Game Hawke’s Bay, Forest and Bird, Jet Boating NZ and Ngati Hori ki Kohupatiki to seek a Water…

2015-11-24T21:12:11+13:00 Gordon Rayner of Central Otago Whitewater reports that around 100 kayakers and rafters attend the protest paddle, meeting at the Dogleg put-in with the Kawarau River running at 180…

2015-10-28T21:28:39+13:00 Last week Matt Bennett made a submission on behalf of Whitewater NZ to the Coroner’s inquest into the death of Louise Jull on the Kaituna River. John Snook also…

2015-08-21T20:57:17+12:00 KJET have once-again applied for resource consent to operate on the Kawarau River via Smith’s Falls. Whitewater NZ is joining local clubs to oppose the consent because of safety…

2015-03-12T18:16:15+13:00 Talented kayaker Louise Jull went missing from her kayak during a descent of the Kaituna river on Wednesday evening. Her body was found the following morning by raft-based searchers….

2014-08-16T18:53:34+12:00 Bill Parks and Glenn Murdoch are seeking donations for their movie “Rivering”. Pitched as ‘An ode to the whitewater obsession, filmed in the New Zealand wilderness,’ the movie is…

2014-07-31T22:34:07+12:00 Westpower is seeking a DOC concession for a 20MW hydro scheme on the pristine Waitaha River. The scheme would involve a weir at the start of Morgan Gorge, diverting…

[Updated 12:50pm] Czech kayaker Ladislav Švarc, 29 drowned on Saturday 19 July while running a waterfall near Puketitoi Rd in Northland. Švarc was boating with three friends on the Wairau…

Kaimai Canoe Club have announced Wairoa river release dates for 2014-2015, with flows starting on Sunday 14 September and ending Sunday 10 May.

On Saturday 14 June, Whitewater NZ held a successful AGM at University of Canterbury, Christchurch to review the previous year and to plan new initiatives. Following the election of officers…

Kawarau Jet Services Holdings Ltd (KJSHL) has applied for a resource consent (14MB, PDF) to extend its operation from the Arrow River confluence down to the Kawarau Gorge suspension bridge…

Kayakers are advised that flood protection works are underway on the Water of Leith from February to May 2014. Otago Regional Council (ORC) works are between the Dundas St Bridge…

Last year we passed on the news that Network Tasman had put its Matakitaki hydro scheme on hold due to unfavourable economic conditions. Now the valley land owned by Network…

Kiwi adventurer Graham Charles has updated his guide to the best of New Zealand Whitewater. New Zealand Whitewater 5 is now available to order, direct from Graham at http://www.grahamcharlesnz.com/. The…