1 The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Unitec New Zealand, Private Bag 92025, Auckland; lhaines@unitec.ac.nz; jmargetts@ unitec.ac.nz Introduction Current research on riparian planting in urban areas is focussing on indigenous revegetation. The RNZIH conference proceedings Greening the City (Dawson, 2005) provides a broad overview for New Zealand. This emphasis on native plants and their associated ecological values is appropriate for much riparian planting, especially where native biodiversity is to be maximised. Many cities, such as urban Auckland with an extensive range of ridges and gullies, provide a network of streams that run through public and private spaces. In public places, where streams remain above ground, they are increasingly being restored predominantly through community revegetation initiatives using local indigenous plants. This practice fi ts well with the policies for water quality management, to reduce erosion and pollution, to provide shade for aquatic wildlife, and to fulfi l the commitment to indigenous biodiversity. These initiatives, supported and promoted by many local authorities (ARC, 2001; Hamilton City Council, 2002; WCC, 1999; amongst others), have increased the local indigenous species in the environment and fulfi l some of the requirements of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy.