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A recent review of ecosystem metabolism data suggested that non-wadeable rivers consistently exhibited higher gross primary production (GPP) and a decreased range in ecosystem respiration (ER) than rates observed in wadeable rivers and streams. Subsequently, non-wadeable rivers are more likely to be assessed as having poorer ecosystem health than wadeable rivers when existing management bands are applied. Waikato Regional Council are interested in developing appropriate monitoring and reporting tools for assessing non-wadeable river ecosystem health and commissioned this report to inform management bands for ecosystem metabolism in non-wadeable rivers. In this report guideline values for assessing ecosystem metabolism were explored for non-wadeable rivers using a compiled dataset representing 682 sites. Exploration of compiled data revealed a strong negative relationship between GPP and ER and native vegetation cover confirming the suitability of ecosystem metabolism metrics as sensitive indicators of catchment condition. This relationship also confirms the suitability of selecting reference sites based on catchment land cover. Subsequently, values of GPP and ER at reference sites defined by> 75 % native vegetation cover were used to inform management benchmarks