About Wanaka Catchment Group
&
Wai Ora Project
Wai Ora Project: Key Achievements Over 3.5 Years
52,947 native plants established in stock-excluded riparian zones
22.67 km of new riparian fencing installed
94.42 hectares of riparian area now fully stock-excluded
4 school education days delivered
3 with Te Kura O Take Karara
1 with Wanaka Homeschool Group
4+ community workshops held
Collaborations with Wanaka Climbing Club, Upper Clutha Anglers, Cardrona Catchment Group, and Wai Wanaka
60+ mature willows removed
Over 50 mulched and reused around plantings to suppress weeds
4+ fish passage barriers remediated, improving aquatic connectivity
Wanaka Catchment Group Wai Ora Initiative – Freshwater Improvement Fund Project
Supporting Healthy Farms, Healthy Waterways
In September 2020, the Wānaka Catchment Group (WCG) secured funding from the Ministry for the Environment’s Freshwater Improvement Fund (FIF). In September 2020 WCG applied to the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) for Freshwater Improvement Funding (FIF). This funding will assist WCG member stations to implement actions identified in farm plans. The total project cost was ~1.5M. With about $860k from MfE with the balance coming from landowners, Otago Regional Council (In Kind) and a private contributor. Funding is targeted on riparian fencing, planting and wetland projects. Also incorporating a Citizen Science Project, with a focus on children learning about waterways and farming.
What the Project Delivers
Funding was focused on practical, on-farm actions:
Riparian fencing and planting
Wetland restoration
Citizen Science education with local schools
These initiatives are designed to improve water quality, biodiversity, and environmental resilience across the catchment.
Farm-Led, Science-Backed
All WCG member stations have Farm Environment Plans in place. We also worked alongside the Otago Regional Council on a catchment-wide water monitoring programme. This identified “hot spots” where water quality is at risk—helping us target our efforts where they matter most.
Community, Culture & Collaboration
A key part of the project is education and community engagement. Our Citizen Science programme gets local kids involved in monitoring stream health, and understanding how farms and the environment are connected.
This work also helps:
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Build trust and resilience in our rural community
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Connect urban and rural residents through shared goals
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Provide a model for catchment-wide collaboration
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Position WCG farms as leaders in profitable, environmentally responsible agriculture
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Working Together for the Future
We’re proud to collaborate with Wai Wānaka, Friends of Bullock Creek, DOC, Fish & Game, and other local groups to improve and protect our environment—together.
These aren’t just project outputs—they’re real outcomes. We’re working to protect the water that feeds our iconic Lake Wānaka, ensuring a healthy future for our land, farms, and communities.
Key Successes & Learnings from the Wai Ora Project
✅ Co-funding Model Worked Well
Farmers contributed financially (via CG subscriptions), giving them “skin in the game”
Unlike other Jobs for Nature projects, this has led to longer-lasting outcomes – e.g., continued pest control, plant maintenance
✅ Strong Farmer Buy-in
Site identification and farm planning pre-dated funding, building farmer commitment early
Farmers entered the project with action plans already in place and a understanding of how they can have positive affect on water quality.
✅ Community-led, Not Council-led
Catchment group–driven model fostered genuine engagement and trust
Seen as community-owned, not driven by top-down regulation
✅ Real Behaviour Change
Farmers now independently planning:
New self-funded riparian fencing
Budgeting for plant maintenance
Placing future native plant orders
Next generation of farmers contributing to more sustainable land management attitudes
✅ Strategic Use of Local Contractors
Local fencing/planting contractors used, Maximized impact of ~$860k MfE funding
Avoided future redundancy issues (unlike if J4N-employed local business workforce had been used)
✅ Strong Foundation of Data & Guidance
Years of groundwork by Aspiring Environmental (Chris Arbuckle) and industry bodies provided:
Water quality metrics
Key mitigation area data
Essential insights to guide effective action
WCG Background
The Wanaka Catchment Group was established in 2017 by farmers in the Lake Wanaka area in response to a community interest in Lake Wanaka's water quality, the effect farming has upon it and to respond to an increase in Regional Council / Government scrutiny on farming practices in our region.
15 out of the 17 large farm properties (greater than 50ha) in the catchment and a vineyard have signed up to this farmer funded collective approach to catchment management. This means ~90% of the farmed catchment by area was being managed under one consistent environment plan.
The first two years (October 2017 - October 2019) of the project are focused "within the farm gate". actions and building an environmental information package for each property:
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A detailed Land Environment Plan (based on Beef & Lamb – LEP3) with map identifying "at risk" areas and other information.
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A response plan focussed on water quality and timetable to address the on-farm issues identified through the plan.
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An OVERSEER budget designed to inform optimise nutrient use.
The group is delivering several outcomes that benefit water quality in the catchment through the implementation of actions in farm plans (riparian and wetland enhancement projects) and by gathering of water quality data and looking at managing nutrients and implementing better on farm practice, especially activities such as winter grazing.
WCG works with community groups, and environmental partners, including Fish & Game NZ, Forest & Bird, Lake Wanaka Guardians, and others. WCG has a working relationship with pastoral sector industry, included having worked closely with Beef & Lamb NZ on a High-Country Lake Catchments Environment project that helped the formation of the WCG.
WCG also have research partners, including working with the University of Otago, AgResearch and Lincoln University. WCG and Aspiring Environmental have supported academic projects; co-supervising and financially underpinning a student master’s research project which examined Solutions for improving water quality on high country farms.
Furthermore, WCG has an active working relationship with the Otago Regional Council, including partnering in the investigation of catchment water quality through an ORC Good Water Project started in 2019. This project is further evidencing the need for on farm environmental mitigation and will continue until December 2021.