Leveraging Existing 'Catchment Communities' to Implement Te Mana o Te Wai
❄
Eliza Cowey, AECOM
How can we better utilise volunteers who are investing their own time and money to give effect to Te Mana o te Wai? Communities who collaborate to improve their local waterways have been found to achieve incredible outcomes, however frequently they are left without reliable financial support or direction. This paper explores the challenges facing these ‘catchment communities’ in New Zealand, and provides radical recommendations to leverage the growing public desire to practically apply the principles of Te Mana o te Wai.
A particular focus of this paper is the application of data from a Ministry for the Environment 2022 survey. This survey included approximately 240 grass-roots groups ranging in size from ten to over 1,000 members. Many of these groups formed following the release of New Zealand’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (versions released in 2017 and 2020). Community groups have demonstrated exemplary practical application of Te Mana o te Wai, but have also encountered immense challenges.
Short-term, inflexible financial support can be incompatible with successful, longterm restoration efforts. Funding for catchment communities is frequently available, however, volunteers are required to spend large portions of their time writing proposals to secure short-term grants from various public and private sources. Furthermore, grants are often tagged with inflexible restrictions which may not align with catchment-specific solutions.
When funding is sourced, communities are frequently left without practical guidance to apply mātauranga Māori or existing, relevant scientific literature. Government-funded institutes have undertaken decades of research, often with clear, region-specific recommendations for catchment management. The quantity of this information can be overwhelming and difficult to understand for community groups, particularly when hosted across many sources. There is a need to link these passionate groups with clear, appropriate advice relevant to their catchment.
Case studies from successful catchment communities report reductions in nutrient and sediment point source loading, pathogens from runoff, flood generation and impacts, and loss of biodiversity. Common successful catchment management activities include: wetland construction and restoration, fencing and planting riparian margins, assessing land use change, writing farm environment management plans, monitoring water quality, monitoring biodiversity outcomes, and pest / weed control.
This paper calls for New Zealand’s new Water Entities to act as coordinated governing bodies to support and direct intentional, long-term, sustainable outcomes for catchment management. Our nation has this incredible opportunity to leverage our passionate volunteer groups. The following steps are proposed for each Water Entity to show leadership, build on the existing work done by regional councils, and empower communities to continue their demonstrated alignment with Te Mana o te Wai:
1. Develop catchment-specific action-plans for community groups. Proactively provide coordination, support and communication regarding:
• Catchment-specific limits, monitoring methodologies, equipment, and centralised reporting (e.g., flow, sediment, nutrients, E. Coli, ecological markers, and dissolved oxygen).
• Appropriate tangata whenua contacts.
• Interpretation of pre-settlement ecological markers to direct planting / restorative work.
2. Rationalise the existing, diverse funding streams. Long-term partnership through financial support is required to facilitate the direction, implementation and growth of catchment community projects as defined in point 1.