Located at the top of the Kaipara Harbour catchment, the 32,000-hectare Hikurangi catchment includes the Hikurangi floodplain.
Once a giant wetland, the floodplain has been largely drained and developed for agriculture, forestry, horticulture, and lifestyle blocks. It is a biodiversity hotspot characterised by small, isolated and fragmented wetland and riparian forest remnants and several nationally threatened and at risk species.
The Hikurangi catchment was selected to be part of the Living Water partnership because of its location within the Kaipara Harbour, the concentration of dairy farms, high biodiversity values and the ease of access for the wider community to see the work being done in the catchment.
There are also opportunities to contribute to activities to restore biodiversity carried out by iwi/hapū and other organisations and agencies, across the wider Kaipara catchment.