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Floods and the effects on land, waterways and property are the driving forces behind a seminar for farmers, horticulturalists and lifestyle block owners in and around Matakana, which will be held next month.
Friends of Awa Matakanakana (FOAM) and Auckland Council want people to share ideas about creating more flood resilient land and improving the water quality of streams and rivers.
FOAM spokesperson Martin Evans says river monitoring is in place and participants will be shown the information collected to date about storms and their impact.
“There are records of storm peaks throughout the last 45 years and in comparison, the January 2023 event was not bad,” Evans says. “Based on the records, there will be worse, so we need to prepare.”
Stream management, good and bad, has an impact on farmers, businesses and communities downstream, and the seminar is a time for people to discuss issues of mutual concerns.
“It is an opportunity to develop a catchment-wide approach that mitigates flood risk for everyone.”
Danny Klimetz, a geomorphologist and stream restoration and environmental research scientist, will talk about natural waterway behaviour, how it affects rivers and streams, and what catchment-wide actions can be implemented to retain land and minimise property loss and damage.
Understanding what determines good or bad logs in a waterway will be covered, with a focus on what should be considered when clearing debris dams.
There will also be an onsite visit for field assessments of stream stages.
The free event will be held in the Meeting Room, Matakana Hall, 43 Matakana Valley Road, on Friday June 7, from 9.30am to 3pm.
There are limited seats and registration is essential. To book, email: foamfacilitator@gmail.com
