What we’re up to

READ: How our Living Water Waikato Peat Lakes team are partnering for change with Ngāti Apukura to improve water quality and restore habitat around Lakes Areare, Ruatuna and Rotomānuka https://www.facebook.com/thevisionisclearnz/posts/664188107574997

Earlier this week the Living Water wider team of Department of Conservation and Fonterra had their (belated) annual hui. The focus of this year's hui was discussions around how we get the right information about the partnership's lessons to the right people. And we welcomed some new faces to the team!

October 24 is #WorldFishMigrationDay with family friendly events around the country to celebrate https://www.worldfishmigrationday.com/events?country=163&search= If you can't get to an event there will be live streaming for 24 hours so you don't miss out including the Eurofishion Fishy Finale, 🤞 our friends at UC Freshwater Ecology Research Group make the finale!

More good news for the Peat Lakes, a 1ha area near Lake Areare has been fenced, ready for more restoration work in 2021! https://www.facebook.com/1020415327982293/posts/3626480917375708/

Integrated Catchment Management in action! How collaborating with the local community and working with motivated landowners using cutting edge tools and solutions will achieve water quality and biodiversity improvements across the catchment.

The Department of Conservation have been surveying black mudfish around the Waikato Peat Lakes - our work to detect and remove pest fish from some of the peat lakes helps to protect these little guys as well as our restoration work, giving them much needed habitat for the warmer months https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2020/09/30/fish-out-of-water-black-mudfish/

The Department of Conservation have been surveying black mudfish around the Waikato Peat Lakes - our work to detect and remove pest fish from some of the peat lakes helps to protect these little guys as well as our restoration work, giving them much needed habitat for the warmer months https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2020/09/30/fish-out-of-water-black-mudfish/

We have 34 tools and approaches being tested; with 9 solutions already adopted and scaled by others. We have partnered with others to accelerate our work; with 52 national and local partnerships currently in place. Learn more about them here 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/tools-solutions/

It's #worldriversday2020, today we celebrate the values of our rivers. By partnering, the Department of Conservation and Fonterra are implementing tangible tools to help improve the quality of our waterways in agricultural areas. Head to our website to see the tools and trials in action 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/tools-solutions/

October 24 is World Fish Migration Day, there are events happening around the country between now and then, head to the link below to see what's happening in your area 👇 https://www.worldfishmigrationday.com/events?country=163&search=

If you're in Christchurch this Sunday, take the whānau along to Chrstchurch South Library to celebrate World River Day and Fish Migration Day - lots of interesting information, aquarium displays and activities for the kids. See some of NZ’s migratory fishes (including whitebait) and grab a sausage from the sausage sizzle. https://www.facebook.com/events/616998509248823/

Ours is a very unique partnership between the Department of Conservation and Fonterra, with 40% of NZ’s land under the stewardship of the two organisations we are working together for tangible change across our 5 catchments and eventually across the country. Check out our progress over the last 7 years 👇 https://www.livingwater.net.nz/our-progress/

Check out this video we did with UC Freshwater Ecology Research Group about why sediment is an issue, what a sediment trap is and how it works. It also provides guidance on how big to make a suitable sediment trap for ecological and financial benefits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMUJn9zL2y8&t=4s

Drought and flood conditions in Northland over the last year have impacted on the work we are able to do, and the livelihood of farmers. Despite this, 52 Farm Environment Plans covering 12,065 ha have been delivered to date by the Waimā Waitai Waiora partnership project we are involved with and this has been supplemented by Living Water supporting the planting of 20,000 natives on dairy farms in the Okarika Pocket to help reduce sediments and nutrients reaching waterways. https://www.livingwater.net.nz/catchment/wairua-river/

We’re excited to be working with the UC Freshwater Ecology Research Group who have been trialling practical tools for improving freshwater in agricultural waterways for over 10 years. You maybe wondering if we needed a resource consent to install the sediment trap and bio filter? Yes, in this case we needed 3 resource consents under the Environment Canterbury Regional Plan. We know the consenting process is a barrier to these tools being used more widely by landowners and we are now looking into how to make this easier.

We teamed up with Gallagher Animal Management New Zealand to host a small demonstration for local landowners (following all Level 2 guidelines) at Lake Ruatuna, showcasing Gallagher’s Insulated Line post system - a permanent fence with minimal effort required for both installing and removing, making it much easier for landowners to fence waterways under new regulations and move them easily if they want to increase the margin - the ✅ of approval was given by the Waikato farmers involved with Living Water.