increase font size
Waipā River.
An event aimed at advising famers and landowners on how best to manage their property in an environmentally sustainable way, starts this month.
People in the Waipā River catchment are being encouraged attend the Kaniwhaniwha Stream field day, which will offer information on funding sources for environmental initiatives along with other resources.
The event is being organised by the Waikato Regional Council and DairyNZ.
Hosts Denis and Felicity Ahlers have worked with industry body DairyNZ to develop an environment-focused sustainable milk plan. They have also identified work that can qualify for council and Waikato River Authority funding.
The field day will cover topics such as farm planning, planting beside waterways, aquatic life, council river management, and land stabilisation.
“Reducing soil loss is particularly important in the Waipā catchment as this contributes to a high sediment load in streams and the Waipā River itself,” says council sustainable agriculture advisor John Vosper.
“This sediment reduces water clarity and can harm aquatic life. The Waipā River’s major issue is poor clarity caused by sediment and it is the biggest contributor of sediment to the lower Waikato River.”
The field day follows an announcement late last year that the Waikato River Authority is planning to provide the council with up to $1.5 million over three years for implementation of projects identified in the recently released Waipā Catchment Plan. The plan aims to contribute to the restoration and protection of the Waipā River.
The catchment plan promotes sustainable land uses and management practices, as well as providing targeted funding and assisting landowners to develop property or farm plans.
Overall, the plan sets 20-year goals for the catchment, including reducing erosion and sedimentation of the river, having productive soils, swimmable water quality throughout the catchment, and providing flood protection and enhanced ecological health.
For more information on the catchment plan, visit www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/waipaplan.
The field day at the Ahlers’ farm will be held from 10am to 1pm on Tuesday 21 April at 1120 Limeworks Loop Rd, Te Pahu, near Hamilton.
People are asked to RSVP for catering purposes by Friday 17 April to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Rural Support Waikato is inviting farmers, growers, and rural communities to take a well-earned break and join us for 'Brunch on Us' - a series of all-sector, relaxed drop-in events across the region.
Waikato is home to a diverse range of lakes, and experts say they urgently need better management and restoration.
Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Matthew Zonderop says two consecutive years of a $10 milk price is fantastic for New Zealand agriculture.
Last season was a mixed bag for Waikato contractors, with early planted forage maize, planted on the dry soils around Cambridge, doing badly after germination and failing to meet potential, says Jeremy Rothery, Jackson Contracting.
For those rural women who feel menopause might be getting the best of them, a series of events is heading to the Waikato that could help.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
OPINION: Your old mate welcomes the proposed changes to local government but notes it drew responses that ranged from the reasonable…
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your…
