Appendix II: Waikato River and its Catchment
The Waikato River, at 425 km in length, is the longest river system in New Zealand, while its catchment of 14,258 km2 is the largest in the North Island. The river and catchment are amongst the most intensively developed in New Zealand and play an important role in the economy of the region.
The upper headwaters of the Waikato River System originate in the central North Island volcanic plateau. Water captured by the Tongariro Power Development diversions and natural inflows enter Lake Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand, with a surface area of about 611 km², a maximum depth of about 160 m, and an average depth of about 98 m. Lake Taupo is a dominant feature in the whole system and, because of its size, has a considerable regulating effect on the flow of the Waikato River. The lake outlet is situated in Taupo at the northern end of the lake and forms the source of the Waikato River. The Taupo Control Gates allow outflows from the lake to be regulated, principally for the purposes of electricity generation.
The catchment supports a diverse range of aquatic biota and habitats including sports and commercial fisheries (trout, whitebait, eels), game birds (ducks) and native fisheries.
There are approximately 340,000 people living in the Waikato River catchment, with approximately 106,000 in Hamilton alone. The catchment has been intensively modified and highly developed. Dairy-farming is a particularly important land-use, occupying upwards of 50% of the area, while mixed livestock and intensive sheep grazing are also important, along with areas of market gardening, orchards and horticulture. A large proportion of the catchment is exotic production forest and this is anticipated to increase in future. The Waikato River passes through some very important tourist regions and there are a number of commercial tourism ventures operating on the river.
Lake Taupo, the Waikato River and its hydro-lakes are important recreational assets of the region with the development of facilities at Lake Karapiro into one of the world's top rowing courses, a popular venue for national and international watersports regattas.
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