increase font size
DairyNZ is partnering with iwi and farmers on the Sustainable Catchments programme, launched last month.
A Sustainable Catchments programme launched last month will see local farmers, DairyNZ and iwi working together to help improve the health of the Pokaiwhenua catchment in the South Waikato.
This initiative, part of a three-year Sustainable Catchments programme, will deliver work in the Pokaiwhenua (Waikato) and Waimea (Southland) catchments, and across South Canterbury. It is the first project of its kind that has seen DairyNZ work closely with iwi, bringing western science and Mātauranga Māori together to better understand catchment ecological health and how to improve it. The Pokaiwhenua Catchment Group will also be extensively involved in the project.
DairyNZ general manager for sustainable dairy Dr David Burger says it’s exciting to get the project underway.
“It means a lot for DairyNZ to be partnering with organisations that have similar goals and aspirations. We look forward to moving forward with iwi and farmers to make a difference to the environment, and we hope to identify further partnership opportunities as we continue to focus on environmental improvements at a catchment level.”
The Sustainable Catchments project will include trialling practical tools and interventions on-farm, such as constructed wetlands, to increase awareness and understanding of ways to improve water quality. The three catchments are identified as priority areas for restoration because monitoring shows they have higher nitrogen concentrations and lower ecosystem health scores than other catchment areas.
“There are opportunities for improvement in each catchment,” Burger says. “Each catchment has committed landowners who are passionate about improving water quality, and this work will help accelerate the momentum of current restoration activities.
“We will work closely to support local landowners and catchment groups, which already have water quality improvement initiatives underway.”
The first year of work will see catchment assessments completed, including designing monitoring programmes to track water quality and hauora (health) change over time. In the second year, on-farm and catchment activity will demonstrate mitigations with proven science to improve the health of catchment waterways.
“Catchment work is widely recognised as the way forward in improving the environment, as it achieves better results than a national one-sizefits- all approach,” Burger says.
DairyNZ is partnering with the Raukawa Charitable Trust in the Pokaiwhenua catchment, where the programme has launched. Raukawa Charitable Trust tumu whakarae (general manager) Maria Te Kanawa says her organisation is excited to be involved with this programme.
“Raukawa are committed to our responsibilities as kaitiaki throughout our takiwā (region). As such, we have a key role to play in the revitalisation and restoration of the wider Pōkaiwhenua catchment. We believe, through the inclusion of Mātauranga Māori alongside western science, that we can bring about positive change.
“We are pleased to be partnering with DairyNZ and local farmers as we collectively work towards healthier waterways in this catchment area.”
DairyNZ has received $3.4 million in government funding for the programme. This funding comes from the Essential Freshwater Fund (EFF) administered by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) to help improve water quality and reverse past damage to waterways. DairyNZ is contributing a further $1.2 million towards the programme.
The Sustainable Catchments programme is one of 11 funded by MfE.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
The dairy sector is in a relatively stable position, with strong milk price payout forecasts continuing to offset ongoing high farm costs, according to DairyNZ.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says history shows that when New Zealand needs an economic lift, dairy delivers.
There is nothing more important to New Zealand than agriculture, says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
Sheep milk processor Maui Milk is on track to record average ewe production of 500 litres by 2030, says outgoing chief executive Greg Hamill.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is calling for cross-party consensus on the country's overarching environmental goals.
Changes to New Zealand’s postal service has left rural communities disappointed.
Alliance is urging its farmer-shareholders to have their say on the proposed $250 million strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats Group.
The nutters of the green world, aided and abetted by the lamestream media, are rewriting the English language for the worse.
OPINION: The self righteous activists at Greenpeace are copying the self-righteous lefties behind the ‘free Palestine’ movement – not surprising given…
