bnr_biophysical farm risk mapping
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Cleaner water starts here: Mapping environmental risks on farms

In partnership with Bay of Plenty Regional Council and funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Access to Experts service, WSP developed a biophysical risk mapping methodology to support freshwater farm planning. Using open-access GIS and spatial data, the model identifies environmental risks—such as nitrogen, phosphorus, E. coli, and sediment loss—based on natural land features like soil type, slope, rainfall, and proximity to waterways. The tool helps landowners and council staff prioritise mitigation strategies, with field validation ensuring the maps are practical, accurate, and trusted.

Project overview

In collaboration with Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC), with funding from the Ministry for the Environments’ Access to Experts service, WSP developed a biophysical risk mapping methodology to support freshwater farm planning (FWFP).

Developed using open-access GIS and open access, freely available spatial data, the team created a replicable model to identify inherent environmental risks, specifically from nitrogen, phosphorus, E. coli and sediment loss, based on natural land characteristics such as land cover, soil type, slope, rainfall, and proximity to waterways.

The project aim was to provide landowners and regional council staff with an accessible, evidence based tool to help prioritise mitigation strategies and reduce risk of water contamination. Field validation and collaboration with council staff and landowners ensured the maps were practical, accurate, and trustworthy.

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What Future Ready® trends are relevant to this project?

Water management: The tool can help to prioritise mitigation strategies to reduce risk of contaminants reaching waterways, and ultimately estuaries and the sea. This includes runoff containing phosphorus and sediment.
• Health: Reducing the risk of E. coli contamination in waterways helps to protect both human and animal health.
• Nature & biodiversity: Identifying areas at higher risk of contaminant loss due to natural characteristics supports proactive management and identification of potential mitigations. The project encourages mitigation strategies like riparian planting and stock exclusion which are low-impact and ecosystem friendly.
• Increased data reliance: The use of spatial information, GIS, analytical processes and spatial modelling, underpinned by soil science expertise, provided evidence-based planning and gave confidence to BOPRC and landowners to identify and understand areas of risk on their land.

Location

  • Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Project Value

  • Project value

Project Status

  • Project status

What can the tool do?

  • The tool can help to prioritise mitigation strategies to reduce risk of contaminants reaching waterways, and ultimately estuaries and the sea.

How does the tool help?

  • Identifying areas at higher risk of contaminant loss due to natural characteristics supports proactive management and identification of potential mitigations

How were these Future Ready® trends considered through the design process?

By developing an open access GIS toolbox, WSP provided a consistent, scalable, and innovative approach to risk mapping that can be applied across different catchments and regions. Direct engagement with landowners helped to validate the accuracy of the maps, including refining any discrepancies.

The data-driven methodology ensured a robust analysis of multiple environmental factors, identifying vulnerable areas and helping with the prioritisation of mitigation strategies. The user-friendly outputs and visualisations support decision-making on farm and as more up to date and reliable data becomes available, these data layers can be included in the analysis creating a readily updatable solution.

How did integrating Future Ready® into your design benefit the project?

Increased confidence

Field validation and stakeholder training built trust in the outputs and allowed BOPRC to replicate in other catchments with confidence. Developing an open-source tool through such a collaborative process means BOPRC can ‘look under the hood’ to scrutinise the data without paying a subscription cost. It also enables BOPRC to easily add new layers as more data becomes available.

Scalability and flexibility

The open-access model, including guidance documents, allows BOPRC to replicate the process in other catchments or regions, adapting the methodology to the data and needs of that area.

Targeted risk mitigation

By identifying high-risk areas, the tool supports targeted mitigation, reducing the likelihood of contaminants reaching waterways.

Future proof

As the model can be modified with new data and applied to other catchments, it supports long-term resilience and relevance to regional councils and landowners, improving environmental stewardship.

Cost efficiency

Using existing data and tools reduced development costs and made the process more accessible for landowners and BOPRC. 

From a user perspective, the tool allows smarter spending on mitigation and can help with avoiding unnecessary costs in low-risk areas. Furthermore, having access to spatial maps will reduce time spent on manual risk assessments, site visits and desktop analysis.

The tool enables council members to focus their advisory, regulatory, and catchment planning work and helps prioritise actions for FWFP development.

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The project demonstrates how applying a Future Ready® approach can lead to practical, adaptable, and community-driven solutions that address complex environmental challenges with lasting impact.

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