Whitewater Kayaking in Hawke’s Bay: application of the river values assessment system (RiVAS)

Abstract

This report presents the results from an application of the River Values Assessment System (RIVAS) for whitewater kayaking in the Hawke’s Bay Region undertaken in April 2010. This is the second application of the RIVAS for whitewater kayaking in New Zealand; the first was conducted in the West Coast Region (Booth, et al., 2010). This application is based on the method outlined in Hughey et al. (2009). The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) held a workshop on 16-17 April to apply this method to identified Hawke’s Bay rivers. The application of the method for whitewater kayaking would be enhanced by research to inform underlying assumptions and replace data estimates (see Step 10). In particular, elucidation of the factors used by kayakers to value rivers is required.