Mr Mathieson said he did not tend to get in much trouble as a youngster, but he recalled a memory when he had spent an early morning catching freshwater crayfish as a young boy: "I didn’t know how to get a pot of water on the boil so I could cook them up, so I just put them in the kettle. Mum got up that morning to make a cup of tea unaware what the water had just been used for. It’s fair to say she was pretty annoyed with me."
Mr Mathieson had a strong affinity for wide, open spaces as a youngster and enjoyed time on his uncle’s farm. He knew he wanted a career which had him working outside and he gained a master’s degree in marine science.
"With that degree there’s one of two avenues you can go down, either working in the fisheries or for the environmental sector."
He chose the latter and got an internship at Aukaha, working on the environmental team’s resource content. He then worked as a supervisor for Ernslaw One’s Koura (freshwater crayfish) enterprise. After a short stint working as a wool classer, he took a job as a catchment adviser for the ORC.
The particulars of his role are very seasonal; winter is a good time to plan and facilitate workshops with farmers and other community groups.
November through to April he is busy undertaking stream health assessments alongside landowners, and he also does these with catchment groups and education providers.
"I absolutely love what I do. I get to see some amazing countryside and meet good people."
The stream assessments measure several habitat features of a stream including sediment, flow, bank stability and riparian buffers.
"The best part for many landowners is looking at what types of insects are living in the water, as these are strong indicators for just how good the quality of the water really is," he said.
"Adults seem to enjoy this part just as much kids."
In recent years there has been a lot of public dialogue around water quality. For some rural property owners, the regional council can be looked at in a bad light.
"What we are seeing, though, is that most farmers want to know what’s in their waterways. They want to look after them; they drink that water when they are out on the farm, and their kids swim in nearby swimming holes — it’s in their best interest to look after their creeks."
Mr Mathieson said it felt good to establish a good rapport with a farmer.
