I'm sure many of you are happy to be out of lockdown and back to semi-normality as spring has arrived. It has certainly been good to get back to some face to face meetings so we can progress our workstream plan. I was pleased to be able to attend the official announcement of our funding agreement with Ministry for Primary Industries at Mangaweka recently - all be it with masks and two metre distancing.
The MPI funding is for the development and support of farmer-led catchment groups in the Wairarapa and this will allow us to build on the existing work we have been doing in partnership with Greater Wellington and Beef + Lamb. We are looking forward to working closely with communities and our partners to improve the health of our catchments.
Alert Level 3 saw many in-person events cancelled including an impressive line-up for Conservation Week in the Wairarapa - but the team quickly shifted focus to an online photo competition hosted on the WaiP2K Facebook page in collaboration with the Department of Conservation, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre and other local organisations.
Competition judge, Minister Kiri Allan, was impressed with the level of engagement and number of quality entries that showed how many people enjoyed connecting with nature. Minister Allan said "you have sold me on the Wairarapa and its wonderfully diverse environment." We certainly agree!
Ngā mihi nui,
Gill Murray, Chair
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$1.1 million funding boost for catchment groups
The funding agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries will see a region-wide plan developed to help farmer-led catchment community groups to take action for better biodiversity and stream health outcomes and the resilience of their communities.
A steering group has been appointed to develop and monitor the plan's implementation and local coordinators from within each community will be responsible for the coordination of the catchment groups.
We are working with the steering group to plan a community event before the end of the year to share details of the plan and how we can support catchment groups.
Read the full story
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Catchment Group Award
The 2022 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Programme has a new Catchment Group Award. This brand new category sponsored by NZ Landcare Trust is all about celebrating farmers working together to improve water quality in local rivers, streams, lakes or wetlands. Enter your catchment group today!
Visit www.nzfeawards.org.nz
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River Story Semi-Finalists
Congratulations to the Upper Waipoua Kaitiaki Group who are semi-finalists in the 2021 Cawthron New Zealand River Awards ‘River Story’ category for their work to improve local water quality within their catchment through better land management.
Read the full story
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WWF Conservation Fund
The World Wildlife Fund Community Conservation Fund is open for applications until 26 October 2021.
The fund is targeted at local community conservation groups engaged in hands-on ecological restoration or conservation.
Learn more
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Pae tū Mōkai Nursery
Pae tū Mōkai o Tauira – a community and environment-focused group based in Featherston has set up a native plant nursery to supply plants to local restoration groups and agencies such as councils and DoC – native plants which were of the same genetic makeup as those already found around the lakes and wetlands.
Read more
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Mokomoko Art
Educator and artist, Sam Ludden is working with students to build connections with the environment using art by creating ceramic mokomoko (gecko) they plan to install in Masterton’s public spaces. “They’ll help raise awareness of biodiversity and what we might find is missing from our spaces in an urban setting if we don’t look after our environment.”
Read more
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eDNA Virtual Wānanga
Making eDNA meaningful - Understand data and creative storytelling.
Learn how to read and interpret the eDNA sample report, how to make a StoryMap to communicate your story, and
how to make a wheel-of-life poster of the species you have discovered.
Register
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Connecting with Te Taiao
With the help of mana whenua, Gladstone School has drawn on ancestral links to redevelop an underused space into a place of deep value and connection. “The embankment now is a place where students can continue to connect with nature in a practical way and learn about te taiao and te ao Māori through actions, te reo and tikanga.”
Read more
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Student Scientists
The Ruamahanga Restoration Trust sponsored the House of Science Wairarapa Te Whare Pūtaiao o Wairarapa Water Analysis kit, which has since been put to great use by Wairarapa schools. The kits have allows students to understand the health of their local waterways and assess water quality changes over time.
Read more
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VIDEO: Providing Natural Solutions through Connecting Landscapes
Speakers from a diversity of backgrounds explore the integrated natural solutions that connectivity conservation can provide, with a focus on the climate, biodiversity and health.
VIDEO: Recloaking The Whenua
This video series shares information about opportunities for converting land to indigenous regeneration, as well as risks to farming and forestry in their current forms in Tairāwhiti.
VIDEO: IPBES Nature Futures Review
This video shows how the IPBES Nature Futures Framework can be used to analyse how people in Aotearoa are expressing their relationship with, and aspirations for nature.
VIDEO: Social Capital in Conservation
Rosie Gerolemou, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland, talks about a new and interesting concept in conservation called the Social Capital.
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