Shared Vision, Shared Waters

Catchment collaboration in Tāmaki Makaurau

On Wednesday, a passionate mix of landowners, catchment groups, council staff and consultants gathered in Auckland for a hands-on Catchment Management Planning Workshop.

Funded by Wai Connection, and in partnership with New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) and Auckland Council, the workshop offered a chance for people involved in catchment work to get off the emails and into a room together – sharing ideas, learning new tools and discussing challenges in the freshwater space. Most importantly, people had could shared ideas for solutions.

Barabara Wilkinson (Āwhitu Landcare), Vijay Rajan (Mangere East Family Services) and Chez Panapa

Practical, real, and full of good kōrero

The day was led by Matt Highway (CEO of NZARM and Director at Environment Innovation and Strategy Ltd) alongside Katie Owen from Auckland Council, and Briar Broad from our Wai Connection crew, who brought considerable experience and energy to the space.

There was a strong focus on doing, not just talking – with plenty of real-life examples, group activities, and simple planning frameworks people could try out and take back to their own catchments in Auckland.

Tim Armitage (Restore Rodney East) and Heather Johnson-Lee (Te Kohuroa Rewilding)

Some of the highlights included:

✔️ Understanding the current state of available tools in the catchment space

✔️ Working through real scenarios and tough decisions together

✔️ Having a space to share stories, wins, and challenges with others doing similar mahi

Plenty of value for all levels of experience

Whether people were just starting out with their group or deep into catchment planning already, the workshop had something for everyone. It sparked a lot of great conversations, practical thinking, and connections that we hope will carry on well beyond the hui.

Sue Meszaros (Arapārera Community Catchment Group), Shona Oliver (Kaipara Moana Remediation), Matt Highway and Katie Owen.

A few words from participants

“Today we've had a very interesting and useful discussion around catchment management planning and integrated catchment plans.” Tim Armitage, Restore Rodney East

"The best thing was meeting all these great people and seeing what they've been through is great and it's lovely that they want to reach out and help - they'll answer any question!” Vijay Rajan, Mangere East Family Services

“The best part of today was meeting all the people within local catchment groups - their information and knowledge sharing ... will enable my journey in building and having initial conversations with people in my local area to create a catchment group.” Summer Allen-Foote, Kaipara catchment area

Our Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust freshwater crew

Looking ahead

Good workshops are about building connection, momentum and confidence and this hui definitely delivered!

Three key areas were identified as next steps

1. People & Relationships

2. Coordination & Resourcing

3. Knowledge & Strategy.

There are exciting developments ahead for catchment group support in Tāmaki Makaurau — keep an eye out for a Regional Freshwater Hui coming soon. And a big thank you to everyone who took part and helped make our time together valuable and worthwhile!