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Environmental Action in Water Quality Improvement

This award recognises individuals, groups, businesses or farms that are taking action to improve water quality within Southland. Judges are looking for action resulting in enduring improvements to water quality that relate to wetlands, estuaries, rivers, streams or lakes. Projects/actions in the early stages of environmental action or established projects and those in either urban or rural settings are eligible for this award.

Sponsored by Fish & Game, Southland

The Balfour Catchment Group are taking an impressive, united approach to addressing water quality in its catchment.

The group has buy-in from all 16 farms in its Targeted Solutions to Balfour's Environmental Challenges Project, indicating how much locals are getting behind the drive to maintain and improve water quality in their area.

The community-led scientific investigation started with understanding nitrate and sediment losses issues, while providing farmers with the tools to make decisions, take action and create environmental improvements.

Driven by the engagement of the 16 farms involved, the project expanded to focusing on mitigation opportunities, best practice across all farm systems, and installing edge of field mitigations at high priority sites.

Farmers are now designing and implementing a variety of substantial mitigations including wetlands and woodchip bioreactors.

These will be measured and as different mitigations are proven, more farmers waiting in the wings will add to their own mitigation measures.

Cam and Wendy McDonald have long been strong environmental advocates, having enjoyed previous success at the Environment Southland Community Awards.

The couple have spent decades seeking to improve water quality and biodiversity through extensive riparian planting and other initiatives, as well as through pest control.

Retirement from hands-on farming and the leasing of their property hasn’t stopped the couple from getting behind outstanding environmental initiatives.

Cam and Wendy have been instrumental in the restoration of Home Creek Reserve.

The area is not only significant recreational space for Manapouri locals, the Home Creek Restoration Project site is visited by many schools who use it as an environmental learning space.

Cam and Wendy also support other community-good projects and groups, including the Manapouri Weedbusters, providing contractor support and equipment, and generally being available to lend a hand.

After taking over their Western Southland property, the Smith family has worked to enhance and restore the Wairaki Oxbow.

That work has led to tourists and visitors who call into the lookout at the wetland being able to enjoy the beauty and impressive biodiversity in the area.

The Smiths run a significant dairy farming operation with the oxbow right in the midst of it.

The family have worked to improve the state of the oxbow in an effort to do what is best for the environment, despite opposition from local hunters.

Instead, the Smiths have worked closely with the Waiau Trust and QEII to provide a strong habitat for indigenous fish species, particularly long fin eels, as well as birds.

Their work has included extensive planting as well as pest control.

The family’s dedication to the improvement of the area is reflected in their plans to retire a further two hectares of pasture and reinstating it as harakeke swamp in a nearbysouth-western corner, with more planting planned on the terrace whose springs feed into the wetland.

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