Rivers of New Zealand Rivers of New Zealand The rivers of New Zealand are used for a variety of purposes and face a number of environmental issues. Many of the rivers in the South Island are braided rivers. The longest river in New Zealand is the Waikato River with a length of . The largest river by volume is the Clutha River with a mean discharge of . Some of the rivers, especially those with wide flood plains and stop banks, have long road bridges spanning them. The Rakaia River is crossed by the longest bridge in New Zealand at . The third longest
Clarence River (New Zealand) earthquake blocked the Waiau Toa / Clarence River 10 to 12 km from its mouth, with water building up behind the slip. Residents near the river downstream from the slip were evacuated. The river broke through the debris 16 hours after it occurred. In 2018, the name of the river was officially gazetted as Waiau Toa / Clarence River, to reflect its original Māori name. Clarence River (New Zealand) The Waiau Toa / Clarence River is on northeast South Island of New Zealand. It is long, which makes it the eighth longest river in New Zealand. For its first ,