Part 1 - Taumārere Catchment Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Feasibility Project
- Jonathan Cousins
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 22
A Blueprint for NbS and Catchment Restoration in Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Updated: 16/09/2025
By Vision Consulting Engineers (VISION)
In This Article: - The core challenges facing the Taumārere catchment. - Our three-phase approach to building a feasibility plan. - How we integrated science, community feedback, and mātauranga Māori. - The role of GIS mapping in prioritising on-the-ground action.
The Taumārere hydrological catchment in Northland spans over 490 km² of ancient forest and natural habitats, steep hill country, farmland, and commercial plantation. It is also home to an over 80% Māori population that forms part of the rich cultural heartlands of the north. Like many catchments in Aotearoa, it's under pressure with flooding, erosion, and degraded water quality affecting both ecosystems and communities.
VISION, with support from the Ministry for the Environment’s Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Flood Mitigation funding stream and Northland Regional Council, led a multi-phase feasibility project to explore how nature-based approaches could reduce flood risk and erosion, improve ecological health, and support local aspirations. Northland Regional Council are heavily invested in the catchment and facilitated kōrero (conversation) with the local community to support long-term flood resilience.
What followed was a first-of-its-kind project: grounded in science, shaped by mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), and focused on turning analysis into real opportunity and climate resilience.
What Was the Aim?
The project set out to answer a deceptively simple question:
Where can Nature-Based Solutions have the most impact for flood reduction in the Taumārere Catchment and what will it take to make them happen?
Our Solution
To answer that, we worked across three interconnected phases:
Phase 1 – Consultation and Understanding Baseline Data
We began with deep listening and an early look at the data. The phase included:
Community engagement and kōrero with iwi (tribe), conservation groups, landowners, and council.
Hydrological modelling and assessment of flood dynamics, seasonal flows, and sediment transport.
Water quality review and community conversation to understand baseline conditions.
Ecological context, including habitat loss and taonga species like tuna (longfin eel).
Literature review of information important to the catchment’s history, present, and future, such as the Ngāti Hine Environmental Management Plan.
Outcome: A clear understanding of local priorities, risks, and where NbS might align and adapt to both community and environmental goals.
Phase 2 – Funding Feasibility and Monitoring Frameworks
With the baseline in place, we focused on the “how” of making NbS viable. The phase included:
Researching funding streams and application criteria.
Financial feasibility assessment for different NbS.
Exploration of alternative income streams such as carbon credits, native nurseries, paludiculture (wetland horticulture), and eco-tourism.
Development of a practical monitoring framework linking NbS performance to funder requirements and long-term management.
Outcome: A clear, fundable pathway for NbS implementation supported by practical monitoring tools.
Phase 3 – MCA Mapping and Spatial Prioritisation
Finally, we brought the technical layers together to guide where action could happen. This included:
Development of a high-resolution Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) to identify four relative environmental risk classes and prioritise sites for eight different NbS types.
Integration of multiple datasets: slope, land use, runoff patterns, soils, and more.
Creating spatial outputs showing priority zones for each NbS type, ready for use by councils, hapū (subtribe), and landowners.
Outcome: A prioritised, evidence-based spatial plan for where NbS could be used across the catchment.
Explore the Complete Project:
This article is part of our five-part technical series on the Taumārere project. For a comprehensive overview, interactive maps, the full technical reports, and the project webinar, please visit our central case study hub.
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