OUR AMBITION

To reinstate and protect the te ao tūroa (natural order) and mauri (life force) of our land, air and water for future generations.

OUR GOALS

Restore the health of our wai

The health of our water is directly reflected in the health of our ecosystems and our communities. By restoring the health of our water, we can improve the health of our natural ecosystems and the future prosperity of the people who depend on them.

    • Establishing and implementing the Priority Project Fund to support projects that benefit the health of the water bodies in the catchment.

    • Collecting water samples in each of the sub-catchments and gathering long term data.

    Enabling and supporting land guardians and community to:

    • Plant the right erosion control species on hills and near streams to reduce sediment load into the awa and keep soils on the land.

    • Protect remnant bush on hills and near streams to reduce sediment load into the awa.

    • Shade streams and rivers by planting riparian species to help reduce water temperatures and minimise evaporation. This will also reduce aquatic weed growth and ensure optimum conditions for aquatic species.

    • Fence off and plant streams and waterways to reduce direct e coli contamination from livestock. 

    • Protect and restore wetlands to filter and slow water entering the awa.

    • Monitor, control and remove invasive species or pests that destroy ngahere (bush), native ngāi kīrehe (fauna) and reduce biodiversity.

Improve soil conservation and health

Healthy soil functions as a living ecosystem sustaining plant, animal and human health. By improving and conserving our soil health we can help support important ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage, water filtration and storage, food production and biodiversity.

    • Encouraging correct erosion control through research-based land use and stabilisation.

    • Partnering with organisations to support best practice land management.

    • Supporting the development of farm plans to prioritise protection of highly erodible soils.

Reverse the decline in biodiversity

Biodiversity supports resources and processes for all living things, such as clean air, clean water, fertile soils, pollution control, flood control and erosion control. By improving biodiversity, we can provide life supporting services that enable all organisms, including humans, to thrive.

    • Encouraging the preservation of the catchment’s limited remaining biodiversity by fencing, enhancing and protecting our remnant bush.

    • Working alongside organisations such as HBRC and QE11 to prioritise the protection of highly valuable remnant bush.

    • Enabling the creation of green corridors by planting native species. 

    • Planting locally eco-sourced native species back into the catchment to enhance bird, insect and aquatic life.

    • Actively controlling pests to support and protect biodiversity. This includes wilding pine and pampas control at significant natural areas and predator control (rodents, possums, mustelids and feral cats) in sites of high biodiversity.

Foster community wellbeing

A community with a common goal has the power to create change for te taiao (the natural world), now and for generations to come. By engaging community, people can take ownership of their future prosperity.

    • Providing our community with the tools and assistance to create change.

    • Bringing in expertise to assist with good decision making.

    • Upskilling and tapping into potential within our community.

    • Responding to the needs of community when it arises. This could be in the form of droughts, floods, economic downturn or cyclones.

    • Consulting with the community to help develop and maintain a catchment management plan.

    • Learning together and from one another and celebrating our successes.

    • Encouraging greater community and mana whenua engagement with planting projects.

Engage tamariki and whānau

Young people and families are the heart of our community. They are what makes it special and what drives it forwards. By inspiring and passing knowledge to the families in our community, we can nurture, educate and mentor our tamariki and rangatahi (younger generation) to help create the next generation of kaitiaki.

    • Encouraging hands-on environmental learning by partnering with Flemington and Pōrangahau schools.

    • Engaging with local iwi and hāpu.

    • Communicating and sharing generational knowledge.

    • Having fun together with active learning and participation – eco-sourcing seeds, growing native species, pest hunting competitions, community planting days and school trips.

Discover what makes our catchment unique.