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.
Water monitoring in the Okarika pocket
We're installing new water level monitors on the drains that run through the Okarika Pocket - we want to know what happens during large rain events and how it impacts on the rare wetland and put solutions in place to reduce further degradation. Read more 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/catchment/wairua-river/okarika-pocket-transformation
Working with iwi
One of Living Water's key focuses is working with iwi and hapu to build capability and weave Mātauranga Māori into our solutions. Here's our Northland Site Lead, Andrew working with Ngā Kaitiaki O Ngā Wai Māori, electrofishing to understand what species are present and gather a picture of their overall health. Learn more about our Maori Engagement Strategy 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/our-progress/national-projects/maori-engagement-and-collaboration
Listen: Ranger Rose on Raglan Radio
LISTEN: Learn about Living Water, Spotless Crake and how you can get involved in conservation from our very own Hauraki & Waikato Living Water Biodiversity Ranger (and all round super star) Rose, on Raglan Radio https://archive.org/details/rosegrahamlivingwaterproject191001
TBT to Conservation week
Throwback to conservation week, when Waituna Ambassadors of Gorge Road School hosted nearby Glenham School to share conservation knowledge of their wetland, including identifying native fish, managing predators, what birds live in the wetland and where the introduced species came from. Thanks to Fonterra for providing the BBQ Department of Conservation for the surprise display of weed-detecting conservation dog! Read about what we're doing in the area: https://livingwater.net.nz/catchment/waituna-lagoon/
Our progress
Our plans, projects, case studies, and reports.
