Estuary clean-up team seeks input
Farm advisory meeting next week looks for ideas on revitalisation
The group leading the charge to clean up Te Waih¯ı estuary in the Bay of Plenty is looking for input. Wai Ko¯kopu is to host a farm advisory meeting that will provide a forum for discussion and ideas on how to work together to revitalise the catchment later this month.
The group, made up of tangata whenua, landowners, environmental care groups, Ma¯ori agribusiness, residents and ratepayers, is committed to replenishing and revitalising the health of the estuary between Maketu¯ and Pukehina.
The estuary is fed by waterways in sub-catchments that include Pongakawa, Wharere and Kaiko¯ kopu.
Wai Ko¯kopu programme project manager Alison Dewes says it is timely to call the meeting to update the agri sector on what’s been done since work started six months ago, what comes next, and to also seek ideas for improvement from those active in the sector.
Alison and the project Wai Ko¯kopu project team hope as many agribusiness professionals as possible will intend, and that includes vets, fertiliser suppliers and spreaders, farmers, orchardists, foresters, regional farm advisers and consultants.
“We want people to understand how our present and recent activity on the land affects the water,” she says. “I know some in the sector are already working hard on the land to improve their practices, but we still have a long way to go.”
The state of Te Waih¯ı catchment and estuary is one of the worst in New Zealand. The Government provided restoration funding for the catchment as part of its $20 million investment in catchment restoration projects.
The project focuses on environmental initiatives at farm, subcatchment and catchment levels, from the forests to the sea, with an overarching objective of improving water quality in Te Waih¯ı catchment waterways which in turn will contribute towards revitalising the estuary.
Wai Ko¯kopu chairman and Pongakawa mixed enterprise farmer Andre Hickson says common practice in the sector has been to run profit and output driven systems that have been developed over many years, but that needs to change.
“Now, with an environmental focus, we really do need to scrutinise our farm system recipes and the fundamental drivers. In this project we rely on sound local data to guide us, with good science, along with water and soil data informing us.”
Alison says water quality is everybody’s problem, and by fostering awareness and shared responsibility for the health of Te Waih¯ı estuary, they hope to influence better practices, decisions and outcomes for the land, water, biodiversity and community within the catchment.
“We want to restore the mana back to the whenua, and this will involve a combination of western science and ma¯tauranga. By 2024 all farm plans will have to give effect to Te Mana o te Wai, which puts the health of the water and the ecosystem and people first, not last. This is a good first step.”
Part of Alison’s brief is to engage with industry, including Zespri and Fonterra, and she’s doing that.
Wai Ko¯ kopu members are already working with a range of farmers from across the catchment on their farm plans, and doing regular soil and water monitoring and data collection. Some of their early findings will be discussed at the May meeting.
The farm advisory meeting is at Pongakawa Hall on Wednesday, May 19 from 2.30pm to 5.30pm, followed by light refreshments.