November marks the completion of the New Zealand Landcare Trust’s Kakanui Community Catchment project in North Otago.
The project’s main focus has been to improve knowledge and awareness of the various ways to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and increase biodiversity (aquatic life and native plants) within the catchment.
The catchment includes the main Kakanui River and tributaries such as the Waiareka and Kauru sub-catchments.
Recently, a celebratory event was held to highlight what had been achieved over the past three years and to launch the initial results of an ecological monitoring programme which has been run in the catchment over the past two summers.
The key aim was to determine what insects were present in a range of habitats through the catchment.
Once identified, those beneficial to farming could be promoted along with the vegetation they lived among.
An ecological monitoring guide was the first of its type to be developed in New Zealand on a catchment-wide basis.
The guide allowed farmers to build on existing knowledge of sustainable farming, encourage the introduction of native plants in ways that would benefit sustainability, productivity and quality assurance.
Other initiatives included a factsheet entitled ‘‘Are You Plan 6A Ready?’’ that outlined the steps farmers needed to take in order to meet the Otago Regional Council’s water plan. A riparian planting guide had also been produced.
There had been three large community plantings in the catchment and workshops involving farmers.
‘‘More than anything, we’ve set up a foundation for things to move forward,’’ project coordinator Nicola Holmes said.
The community had got behind the Pride in Kakanui signs and maps installed in the catchment outlining its environmental and recreational opportunities, and that would have a long-term impact in creating interest and pride in the catchment, she said.
For her, it was about having a large group of stakeholders to draw on and collaborate with to ‘‘make things happen’’. She felt momentum had particularly gathered this year.
A lot was happening around New Zealand with water quality and it was very fortunate that, in Otago, the majority of rivers were in ‘‘pretty good shape’’.
People did not want to see them deteriorate, while farmers wanted to be seen as responsible guardians of the land and the majority were, she said.
Generational change around the country would accelerate the environmental awareness and action, she said.
The way the ORC had structured the transition time for some regulations meant people had plenty of time to take action and get to know what was happening on their property.
‘‘Not taking action is not an excuse. People need to take responsibility for what goes on on their property,’’ she said.
Several years ago, a group of farmers revived the North Otago Sustainable Land Management Group (NOSLaM). They were keen to improve water quality and promote good pastoral management practices.
Group member Jane Smith said the ‘‘take-home message’’ for farmers, from the Kakanui Community Catchment Group, was that there was so much value in that collaboration.
Those involved were all after the same goal — they might have slightly different ways of getting there — but all wanted clear rivers and economic prosperity for the area.
Sharing those values and stories had been ‘‘really cool’’ and hopefully NOSLaM could be filling that space.
The model needed to continue and there was a sense of urgency to ensure that ‘‘we do carry things on’’, Mrs Smith said.
The New Zealand Landcare Trust’s Pathway for the Pomahaka Project has completed its first 12 months, which included recognition as a joint winner of the River Story category at the New Zealand River Awards.
The project builds on a smaller two-year project that identified good management practices that could be implemented in the catchment to improve water quality and saw the establishment of the Pomahaka Farmers Water Care Group.
The first year had seen various events organised in the catchment to provide landowners with information such as what biodiversity could be found within local waterways, what the water quality was like in local rivers and how that related to the limits set in the Otago Water Plan, and what was expected of landowners under the plan.
Other events had provided examples of forestry best practice to reduce environmental degradation, a look at dairy effluent application and management systems, and a workshop providing landowners with information about different nutrient management tools.
The next year would see more farm environmental plans developed for both sheep and beef and dairy farmers, and more events throughout the catchment particularly looking at ways to mitigate contaminant losses to water and ways to improve water quality and working closely with the Pomahaka Water Care Group, NZ Landcare Trust project coordinator Craig Simpson said.