River Gravel Management Strategy review 2025

Update: August 2025

The Canterbury Regional River Gravel Management Strategy 2025 has been formally adopted.

After three years of review and collaboration, Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) formally adopted the Canterbury Regional River Gravel Management Strategy 2025 (GMS) on Wednesday 30 July.

The updated strategy reflects valuable input from Rūnanga partners, industry, territorial authorities, government and non-government organisations, such as territorial authorities and local rivercare groups, and other stakeholders across Waitaha Canterbury.

The review focused on making our approach to gravel extraction more effective, transparent, and aligned with the values and needs of our communities. We examined how to streamline permission processes, reassessed volume and duration limits, and prioritised ways to support community resilience to flooding and erosion, river health and biodiversity, mana whenua values, and gravel supply for the community.

If you are a gravel extractor, you may want to familiarise yourself with some adjustments on the criteria for gravel authorisations and direction for resource consent and planning decisions in Part 4 of the GMS. For gravel authorisations:

  • Duration: The maximum duration extends to 18 months (our preference is for you to apply for a shorter duration where that suits your project).

  • Volume: unchanged – a maximum volume of 60,000m3 where gravel is determined to be available.

  • Location: Within river-rating districts and where required to protect community infrastructure.

  • 100m3: Small volumes of up to 100m3 may be sought anywhere within the region where gravel is available.

Our next phase is to review the Canterbury Regional River Gravel Extraction Code of Practice to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivering on the commitments made within the GMS. This review will be discussed in upcoming gravel meetings.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to shaping this strategy. Your input has been instrumental in helping us build a more strategic and sustainable approach to gravel management.

A recording of the Council meeting where the strategy was adopted is available on our YouTube channel if you’d like to view the discussion.

Want to stay updated on gravel industry news? Sign up to our newsletter today!

Update: August 2025

The Canterbury Regional River Gravel Management Strategy 2025 has been formally adopted.

After three years of review and collaboration, Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) formally adopted the Canterbury Regional River Gravel Management Strategy 2025 (GMS) on Wednesday 30 July.

The updated strategy reflects valuable input from Rūnanga partners, industry, territorial authorities, government and non-government organisations, such as territorial authorities and local rivercare groups, and other stakeholders across Waitaha Canterbury.

The review focused on making our approach to gravel extraction more effective, transparent, and aligned with the values and needs of our communities. We examined how to streamline permission processes, reassessed volume and duration limits, and prioritised ways to support community resilience to flooding and erosion, river health and biodiversity, mana whenua values, and gravel supply for the community.

If you are a gravel extractor, you may want to familiarise yourself with some adjustments on the criteria for gravel authorisations and direction for resource consent and planning decisions in Part 4 of the GMS. For gravel authorisations:

  • Duration: The maximum duration extends to 18 months (our preference is for you to apply for a shorter duration where that suits your project).

  • Volume: unchanged – a maximum volume of 60,000m3 where gravel is determined to be available.

  • Location: Within river-rating districts and where required to protect community infrastructure.

  • 100m3: Small volumes of up to 100m3 may be sought anywhere within the region where gravel is available.

Our next phase is to review the Canterbury Regional River Gravel Extraction Code of Practice to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivering on the commitments made within the GMS. This review will be discussed in upcoming gravel meetings.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to shaping this strategy. Your input has been instrumental in helping us build a more strategic and sustainable approach to gravel management.

A recording of the Council meeting where the strategy was adopted is available on our YouTube channel if you’d like to view the discussion.

Want to stay updated on gravel industry news? Sign up to our newsletter today!

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Gravel Management Strategy feedback 2025

    Submissions close 5pm Tuesday 22 April 2025.  

    Fields marked * are mandatory. 

    Submissions are public information. Your name and feedback will be published and made available to councillors and the public. Contact details, such as your email address and phone number (if provided), will not be published. They may be given to councillors if they wish to contact you about your submission. Contact details may be used by staff for administration of the consultation process. 

    You can read our Privacy Statement on the Environment Canterbury website. This outlines how we will hold and protect the personal information you provide. 

    If there are good reasons why your name and/or feedback should be kept confidential, contact us at haveyoursay@ecan.govt.nz and specify why that information should be withheld. Please note that you should not include any personal information in the open text fields of the submission if you do not wish it to be made public. 

    You can expect to spend about 5-10 minutes completing this feedback form.  

    Your feedback will be considered by staff and a summary provided to Council prior to a final version of the Gravel Management Strategy being presented to Council for adoption.

  • 2022 SURVEY NOW CLOSED: The survey has concluded.

    Gravel management survey

    Complete this survey to have your say on river-based gravel extraction in Waitaha Canterbury and the current Gravel Management Strategy. This will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Survey closes on 27 September 2022.

Page last updated: 15 Aug 2025, 10:05 AM