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Our Mission

Working with our community to restore the wellbeing / mauri of Te Wai o Pareira

Our Goals

  • Build awareness and knowledge of the Awa

  • Be advocates for Te Wai o Pareira with authorities and the wider community

  • Work actively to clean up the awa

  • Build a sense of community, concern and action around the awa

Long term we aspire to restore Te Wai o Pareira to a healthy and safe state that supports diverse and abundant  life​

Our awa

Te Wai o Pareira/Henderson Creek borders and defines Te Atatu Peninsula. The awa has influenced both the natural and human history of this place.


Te Wai o Pareira is a natural treasure. It supports diverse and abundant life. Our human community swims, sails, rows, kayaks and fishes in the awa. The awa’s well-being is linked to the health of our community.


For the past 170 years the awa has suffered from the challenges of land clearance, industrial and agricultural pollution, frequent sewerage and stormwater inflows and leachate contamination. The consequences of this are now obvious.


Te Wai o Pareira is the responsibility of this community. We need to advocate for the awa, as it cannot speak for itself. We need to work to restore the awa to a healthier state so it can once again support abundant life.

Our achievements

Rivercare Group Te Wai o Pareira began as an informal, volunteer-led community group. Our achievements include:

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  • Created the Rivercare Group - Te Wai o Pareira Facebook page that now has over 400 followers. We regularly post on this and the Te Atatu Peninsula page.

  • Have built a growing body of support and now have 156 people on our mailing list.

  • Have a growing number of volunteers working across a range of Rivercare initiatives.

  • Held two successful public meetings with over 120 people attending. 12,000 flyers were distributed and numerous signs put up.

  • Worked with our local MP Phil Twyford to host a hui with Central and Local Government MPs, WaterCare, Auckland Council and 6  other local conservation groups. The hui focused attention on the need for action to be taken to improve the mauri of Te Wai o Pareira and has resulted in RiverCare being asked to assist in establishing a working group to progress this.

  • Worked closely with SafeSwim to develop, and contribute, to SafeSwim modelling for Taipari and Chapman Strands. We had a group of volunteers trained to undertake ongoing water quality testing that will inform the model. After this initiative was cancelled due to Covid 19 budget cuts at Auckland Council, we successfully obtained funding from Foundation North to resume testing and SafeSwim went live in those two places December 2021.

  •  Between DTEK and our Rivercare Group, we removed 2.65 tonnes of rubbish from the Whau River and Te Wai o Pareira.  RiverCare Group undertakes regular  river cleanups (monthly)

  • Built relationships with our Local Board, local water sports and community groups, local Iwi, Council Agencies, Water Care, local and regional environmental groups. We have established quarterly meetings with WaterCare to progress actions related to sewage overflows.

  • Participated in and supported the formation of Te Taiao/Conservation Network - a collaboration of environmental groups working in the Te Atatu area.

  • Undertaken and presented research on the history, impacts and current status of the Taipari Strand landfill.

  • Established the RiverCare Te Wai o Pareira Trust, with formal monthly governance meetings, Incorporated Trust Status, registered charity with the Charities Commission.

  • Initiated a reserve restoration project at Tawa Esplanade on Te Atatu Peninsula.

  • Have completed a 'Heat Map' explaining why Te Wai o Pareira wastewater overflows need urgent attention.

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