100 projects
Trying things out, costing them, and planning how to take them to scale
Living Water: Dairy and freshwater thriving together
Living Water is a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Fonterra. Our focus is finding game-changing and scalable solutions that will enable farming, freshwater and healthy ecosystems to thrive side-by-side.
We are working with farmers, scientists, councils, mana whenua and communities to design and test solutions, and then develop a plan to implement regionally and nationally.
Our mission
5 regions
Demonstrating dairying and freshwater ecosystems thriving together
1 mission
To build connections which can drive better outcomes for the environment, the economy and New Zealanders
Who are we
With nearly 40% of New Zealand’s land under their care, Fonterra and the Department of Conservation have joined forces to work on the farming and freshwater challenge.
We work on the ground, side by side. We share our expertise and use our collective strengths.
Where we’re working
How we’re working
1
Working towards a common vision of dairy and freshwater thriving together
2
Designing and trialling solutions in five catchments
3
Measuring the impact across 10 years
4
Scaling implementation — the process and cost per farm, per region and for New Zealand
5
Championing change — to mindsets, approaches, systems and aspirations
What we’re up to
We are doers, with the big picture in mind. Check out what we have been up to around New Zealand.
Crakeing in the Waikato Peat Lakes
Our Waikato Peat Lakes team have just had their first week of Spotless Crake/Puweto monitoring. With the help of volunteers and land owners doing pest control in the area, there are signs of a decent amount of Puweto - their presence indicates the wetland is in good health. The monitoring means many early starts and late finishes, in the words of Rose, our Waikato Ranger, it means "becoming one with the wetland" 📷: Rose Graham and Mark Lammas
Teaching others about the importance of wetlands
Last month our Waituna site lead, Chris, in conjunction with the Arawai Kakariki team and the Waituna Landcare Group took a group of locals to a privately constructed wetland on private land, the Waituna Creek Habitat Restoration Trial area, swung by Department of Conservation large scale wetland forest restoration trials, had lunch at the Waituna Lagoon Boardwalk, then drove down to Fortrose Spit to look at rare dune plant communities. They braved the freezing weather to learn more about these rare and precious areas.
Happy international Women's day
It's international Women's Day, so lets applaud the mahi some of our wonderful wahine do, including these two, Dr Katie Collins, Department of Conservation Science Lead and Technical Advisor and Hayley Devlin, Research Technician at CAREX a part of UC Freshwater Ecology Research Group, have a read 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/im:1897/
Meet Kate, Programme Coordinator
MEET THE TEAM: Each month we introduce you to one of our hard working Living Water people, this month is Kate Veale, Living Water Programme Coordinator, we asked her to answer a few questions for us. The best bit about my job is: Working with such inspiring and interesting people, I learn something from them everyday. Most people don’t know that I: hate strawberries 🤢 In my spare time I: play netball and get out in the port hills for a walk or a run If I wasn’t working here, I’d like to: be a marine biologist and study sharks Before working at Living Water, I: had been a contractor to a number of local companies, helping them tell their stories.
Our progress
Our plans, projects, case studies, and reports.
