Waiora Manuherekia, a project of the Manuherekia Catchment group, was launched last July with $1.9 million from Ministry for the Environment Jobs for Nature funding.
Jobs for Nature has an environmental focus — with many projects having the additional benefit of building community. We received this funding because the ministry recognised that our community has the most interest in the improved and sustained health of the catchment. The Manuherikia River is important to everyone in the catchment — whether it is for recreation, irrigation or for amenity.
But here’s the kicker — we only had one year to allocate the funding and deliver the project.
It felt like a mammoth challenge. However, what we’ve achieved is testament to what a community, experts, farmers and our local stakeholders can do when we have a united focus, and we work together to find solutions.
The starting point was to bring representatives from the Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ Landcare Trust, Otago Regional Council and Aukaha together and share a united determination to make something happen in this timeframe.
We then connected with people across the catchment to guide us — and these people were invaluable because of their range of skills and experience.
The first significant piece of work was wetland restoration.
After a contestable process, 12 wetlands were identified to receive support for fencing or planting (or both).
One of the farms will host a trial for the Otago Regional Council on different restoration methods.
In other work, we’ve heard a clear message that continuing the trail alongside the river to Riverside Park is a high priority. Thanks to Phil Murray (Central Otago Environmental Society) for bringing mountain bikers and kayakers together to identify what’s important to them. Together with the Central Otago District Council we’re working with Contact Energy to try to make this a reality.
We had a vision to connect with younger people and link them to the Manuherikia River through a River of Dreams competition. It was inspiring to see the ways that younger people showed their love and appreciation for the river.
A significant focus has been on willow trees in the catchment.
I think we can all agree that willow trees are a blessing and a curse. In the right place they can have a stabilising influence on the land and provide shade in the heat of the summers of Central Otago. In the wrong place they affect water quantity and flow.
Over the past six months, we’ve removed willows from a range of places — including Riverside Park at the confluence in Alexandra — and sprayed willows in the headwaters of creeks. At a few sites where willows have been removed planting of native plants is already under way, including at Poolburn Gorge, Hills Creek rest area and Lauder Creek at the Rail Trail bridge.
It doesn’t stop there. Waiora Manuherekia has funded work to understand sediment loss, erosion and flow paths in our catchment. We will be sharing all this great data with farmers and landowners in the coming months, giving them information to help their decision-making.
Most importantly in my mind is that this project, Waiora Manuherekia, has created a place for people with different views to contribute to common goals — especially related to a river we all appreciate.
It has initiated conversations across our community on what’s important for and around the river.
It’s a well-known adage that old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit under, and I feel like that’s true for this project. The work we’re doing now will have long-reaching and lasting impacts.
Thank you to those who have supported, advised, contributed, challenged — this truly was a community effort.
• Clare Hadley is general manager of the Manuherekia Catchment Group.
