The distribution of adult Trichoptera in light traps was investigated alongside nine streams draining catchments under native forest, pine forest, or pasture near Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between abundance, taxonomic richness, and community composition with respect to land use during summer, and to evaluate the use of adult Trichoptera compared with benthic invertebrates as potential bio‐indicators of the effectiveness of land‐management changes. Adult Trichoptera faunas alongside the native streams were dominated by Hydrobiosidae, Conoesucidae, and Helicopsychidae (each >10% of total Trichoptera numbers for at least two of the three sites), whereas Leptoceridae, Oeconescidae, and Hydrobiosidae were relatively abundant alongside at least two of the pine sites. Adult Trichoptera faunas at the pasture sites were strongly dominated by Hydroptilidae which made up 47–85% of numbers caught at all sites. The mean number of individuals and taxa caught in light traps increased from November to January and then declined in February for all land‐use types. Overall, total numbers and taxonomic richness of adult Trichoptera were significantly lower at the pine sites compared to the pasture or native sites. TWINSPAN classification of benthic invertebrates collected in November clearly differentiated sites based on land use for presence/absence and percentage abundance data. A similar pattern was evident for most sites when adult Trichoptera faunas were used for the four sampling dates combined, suggesting that light trapping has potential as a tool for bio‐monitoring.