Waipaoa River

The Waipaoa River is in the Gisborne District, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of the Raukūmara Range, flowing south for 80 kilometres (50 mi) to reach Poverty Bay and the Pacific Ocean just south of Gisborne. For about half of this distance, its valley is followed by State Highway 2. The river has several important tributaries, among them the Wharekōpae, Waikohu, Mangatū, Te Ārai, Waingaromia and Waihora rivers. Major settlements along the banks of the river include Te Karaka, Ormond, and Pātūtahi. Waipaoa is Māori for "Pāoa's river", Pāoa being the captain of the Horouta canoe (hence "Waipaoa River" is tautological).

The river has formed the fertile and highly productive Poverty Bay flats on the edge of Gisborne. The Waipaoa River Flood Control Scheme was built in the 1950s. Stopbanks are to be raised by 2031, as eroded soil, especially from the Waingaromia and Mangatū catchments, has built up the river bed, the annual flow of sediment being 15 million tonnes. Despite this pollution, many of the headwaters have indigenous fish.