

Trialling tools and solutions
Living Water wants better outcomes for the environment, the economy and New Zealanders – this means finding solutions for healthy freshwater ecosystems and sustainable dairying to thrive side by side.
We’re focused on trialling solutions that can be taken to scale and that will create real change - it’s why DOC and Fonterra are working together and is the purpose of our work. This includes physical tools that are designed to fulfil a particular action for freshwater improvement in the landscape, as well as approaches, processes, ways of working or system changes that move us towards more sustainable dairying and healthier freshwater ecosystems.
As we gather results, we’ll see which solutions can be scaled across catchments or regions, how that might be done (what support and capacity does the farming sector and communities need to get there), and how much it might cost.
Farm scale tools
Te hōkai ā-pāmu


Farming with Native Biodiversity
Making it easier to protect and enhance on-farm biodiversity

Lower Waituna Creek Transformation
A multi-phase restoration, wetland reconnection and water management project

Powell’s Road Waterway Enhancement
Trialling ways to improve the habitat of a roadside drain

Integrating forestry and farming
Helping landowners to put the right tree in the right place




Sediment Traps
Sediment traps are simple, low-cost excavations in a watercourse or near a waterbody that capture and reduce the downstream movement of gravel, sand, and silt.

Nitrogen and Phosphorous Filter Trials
Are nutrient filters a practical solution for farmers to reduce their impact on water quality?

Floating Wetlands
Reducing contaminants and improving wetland habitat

Low cost wetlands
Creating wetlands in wet areas on-farm can provide biodiversity benefits while also reducing flooding, erosion, and improving water quality.

Hydroseeding Trial
Spraying a mixture of water, seed, mulch and sometimes fertilisers onto the ground in difficult to reach places

Fine Particle Fertiliser Application Demonstration Project
Can nitrogen fertiliser use be reduced without compromising pasture growth?

Biodiversity Assessments on Farm
Engaging farmers with biodiversity on their farms

Farm Environment Plan App
Digitised up-to-date environmental action plans for farmers

Water Primrose (Ludwigia) Control
Reducing the biomass of invasive macrophyte Ludwigia by aerial spraying with drones, rather than hand weeding or excavation

Tradescantia Trial
Can we control an invasive weed with Brazilian beetles?

Catchment scale tools
Ngā taputapu hōkai ā-riu hopuwai

Measuring the economic and cultural value of lowland drainage restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand
Assessing the costs and benefits of restoring Aotearoa New Zealand’s lowland drainage network at a national scale.

Fish Passage Remediation Project
Breaking down barriers for our native freshwater fish

Large scale constructed wetland trial
Reducing contaminants reaching Waituna Lagoon

LandscapeDNA
Integrating landscape properties and cutting-edge science to explain why water quality varies

Reducing Contaminants Using Peak Run Off Control Structures
Using simple structures to manage peak flows

Waituna Catchment Nutrient Reduction Project
Reduce the rate of sediment and nutrients originating from on-farm and off-farm activities

Real time water quality monitoring
Can continuous, accurate data that’s accessible to all parties involved in catchment management empower and inspire change?

Ararira-LII Catchment Water Network Redesign Project
Trialling a catchment wide approach to managing drains and waterways


Waituna Economic Evaluation
What can economic cost benefit analysis tell us about the value of environment improvement activities?

Ecosystem Services
Testing the usefulness of taking an ecosystems services approach for project planning

Detention Bund Trial
Determining whether detention bunds can effectively manage peak run off and reduce sediment in Northland

Physiographics Project
Helping landowners to better understand where to put contaminant management interventions to improve water quality leaving farms

Catchment Condition Survey
An inexpensive way to gather baseline information, identify key ecological issues and prioritise areas and activities for effective catchment management

Catchment Action Prioritisation Tool (CAPTure)
A GIS-based tool to help community groups and landowers in smaller catchments to prioritise actions for freshwater improvement

Use of eDNA to detect species
Using a sample of water, soil or sediment can detect species much more easily than electrofishing or intensive trapping

Koi Carp Barrier at Lake Ruatuna
Preventing the spread of invasive pest fish
National projects
Kaupapa ā-motu

Trialling tools and solutions
We're trialling physical tools, as well as approaches, processes, ways of working or system changes.

Measuring the economic and cultural value of lowland drainage restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand
Assessing the costs and benefits of restoring Aotearoa New Zealand’s lowland drainage network at a national scale.

Fish Passage Remediation Project
Breaking down barriers for our native freshwater fish

LandscapeDNA
Integrating landscape properties and cutting-edge science to explain why water quality varies

Farming with Native Biodiversity
Making it easier to protect and enhance on-farm biodiversity

Telling Our Story and Championing Change
This work is more than just communications and marketing, it is about engaging people and organisations on a change journey.

Monitoring & Evaluation
A framework to guide the planning, monitoring and evaluation approach for Living Water

Māori Engagement and Collaboration
Our approach to working with mana whenua

Farm Environment Plan App
Digitised up-to-date environmental action plans for farmers

Biodiversity Assessments on Farm
Engaging farmers with biodiversity on their farms

University of Canterbury Partnership
Partnering with the University of Canterbury on transforming agricultural drains into healthy waterways.

QEII National Trust Partnership
Partnering with QEII National Trust to accelerate the protection of significant habitat on farms.

Governance and Operating Model
How the Living Water partnership and programme is organised to deliver the mahi

How we selected the Living Water catchments
How Living Water made choices about where to work

Initial information collected at site
How we collected information to inform decisions on what work to do

SPRINT Planning
Taking a new approach to strategic planning
Social tools
Ngā Taputapu ā-Pāpori
Māori Engagement and Collaboration
Our approach to working with mana whenua
Monitoring & Evaluation
A framework to guide the planning, monitoring and evaluation approach for Living Water
Waimā Waitai Waiora Partnership Project
Collaborative project incorporating sustainable land management practices and the principles of mātauranga Māori to reduce sediment into the Wairoa River
Establishing a partnership
Why was Living Water established? What were the challenges of establishing a partnership and what has been learned
Increasing wildlife habitat areas in a farming landscape
Working with landowners to acquire land for environmental outcomes
Incubate: Establishing a Community Trust
How to work together with differing views, backgrounds and goals for ecological restoration
Predator control strategy
Engaging the whole community to achieve outcomes for the environment
SPRINT Planning
Taking a new approach to strategic planning