Focus on Waiapara catchment at Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee meeting

The Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee will meet in Cheviot on Monday 21 July, 2014.

The meeting will begin with a discussion on the recommendations made by the Waipara Working Group which was formed by the committee in late 2013 to work with the community to develop water management solutions for the catchment.

The Waipara River catchment is a “red” Nutrient Allocation Zone in the proposed Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) as regional water quality outcomes are not currently being met (sub-regional planning for the catchment is not scheduled until at least 2017/18).

The working group is recommending a number of actions to help improve water quality in the catchment including monitoring programmes, community involvement, willow management, and the development of a simple management plan for the Waipara River lagoon.

Following this, the zone committee will discuss how it can work with the community to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the zone’s waterways to allow for more development within existing rules.

Specifically, the committee will discuss how it can work with land-owners to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses through encouraging efficient land-use. This includes measuring losses, monitoring water use, managing stock access, and working with councils and industry groups.

The committee will finish the meeting with a discussion on how to protect and enhance biodiversity values in the zone. A collaborative working group involving councils, stakeholders and the community is being considered.

The group would work towards understanding the current state of biodiversity in the zone and develop biodiversity enhancement objectives as well as the recommendations to achieve them.

The Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee is a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and Hurunui District Council. It includes seven community members, two Rūnanga representatives, and one each from Hurunui District Council and Environment Canterbury.

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