Waianiwaniwa River

{{Infobox river

| name = Waianiwaniwa River

| image = Waianiwaniwa (Waireka) Bridge flooding, 1963.jpg

| image_size =

| image_caption = Waianiwaniwa River and surroundings following flooding, July 1963

| map = {{Location map|New Zealand|width = 250|float = center|caption = Location of Waianiwaniwa River in Canterbury|lat_deg = -43.47761|lon_deg = 172.00341}}

| source1_location =

| mouth_location = Selwyn River

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = New Zealand

| subdivision_type2 = Area

| subdivision_name2 = Homebush

| length = {{convert|23.63|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| source1_elevation =

| mouth_elevation =

| discharge1_avg =

| basin_size =

}}

The Waianiwaniwa River (Waireka) is a river in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand.{{LINZ|20204||2 April 2008}}

Location

The source is in the Wyndale Hills, which are foothills of the Southern Alps. The Waianiwaniwa River is a tributary of the Selwyn River.

History

The Waianiwaniwa Valley originally belonged to the Deans family. This particular block belonged to one of the Deans sisters and she sold it to the Hawke family. The Hawkes broke it in turning tussock country into dairying country. The homes built by William A Hawke and Ernie Hawke still stand. The first farmer to use top dressing aircraft was Ernie Hawke on this property.

The Central Plains Water Trust previously sought approval to dam the river for their irrigation scheme, with a proposed water level of {{convert|280|m}} above sea level.{{cite web |title=Final report: Waianiwaniwa Reservoir Feasibility |url=http://cpw.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/R1161.pdf |publisher=URS Corporation |access-date=7 December 2020 |date=7 November 2002}} The Central Plains Water Trust did not progress with these plans, and the irrigation scheme was fully completed and operational in 2017.

Māori knew the river as "Waireka" (Sweet Water).

References

Category:Rivers of the Canterbury Region

Category:Rivers of New Zealand