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The water catchment that flows from the hills above the greater Matakana, Sandspit and Takatu regions, through residential, agricultural and commercial areas, and into Sandspit estuary and Kawau Bay, will be the subject of a community workshop this month.
The first in a series, the afternoon workshop will bring together people’s knowledge, aspirations and concerns about any aspects of the catchment. What do people value, including the health of local waters, riverbanks, wetlands, biodiversity and resilience to flooding and erosion?
Project chairperson Jo Davidson says the outcome of the workshops will be a community-led integrated catchment plan (CICP) containing a tangible list of actions that belong to the community.
“We want to hear from residents, farmers, business owners, local hapu, environmental groups, clubs, river and estuary users and fishers, young people, those new to the area – everyone who has an interest in the catchment,” she says.
“People don’t need to live within the catchment to be part of the conversation, they just need to care about it.
“We’ve all seen the impact of heavy rainfall, floods and slips and some people may want this addressed as a priority, whereas someone else could be dedicated to protecting the wildlife in the rivers such as the eels at Matakana Village.”
There will be an explanation of what an CICP is, how it can be used and how the community can shape it and be part of the actions.
“It can be easy to overlook what’s happening to the streams, rivers, estuaries around us, until something changes that directly impacts our lives. Maybe people have noticed more sediment flowing from Sandspit into Kawau Bay or perhaps a landowner is protective of koura (freshwater crayfish) they know are in a stream on their property.”
Davidson says there are some healthy stretches of freshwater throughout the Matakana catchment and a lot of good people are already doing great things to protect the health and biodiversity of the water.
The CICP process is being driven by volunteers from Friends of Awa Matakanakana. Rodney Local Board and Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters Rural Wai Ora Partnerships are providing funding and support for workshops and the input of Duncan Kervell, a land and catchment management advisor.
The project team will build on the community’s feedback from the first workshop to develop a second workshop scheduled for May. There are targeted events to hear from businesses and those working in primary industries – farmers, viticulturists and orchardists.
Workshop one will be held at Matakana Village Hall, on Sunday March 15, from 1pm to 4pm.
For more information and registrations go to: https://tinyurl.com/muhs2vce.
For details about the commercial and farmer and forester events, email awamkk.icmp@gmail.com
