Stream or discharge? Analysing hydrosocial relations in the Waimapihi Stream to innovate urban water politics

Abstract

In Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, 95% of the length of urban streams are piped and buried, leaving them hidden. Technocratic management regimes separate streams into discrete parts, and thus overlook important relationships that can improve or maintain the state of streams. This paper takes a hydrosocial perspective on urban streams, exploring connections between water flow, infrastructure, and social structures and institutions to consider the buried Waimapihi Stream. Drawing on interviews, it examines implications of the Waimapihi's legislative status and management for its headwaters at the Waimapihi Reserve and the stormwater piped section, and considers the potential for daylighting the piped section.