15 October2014

Support from Production, Recreation and Environment.

When it comes to water quality not many organisations can claim to have the support of major bodies representing production, recreation and the environment, yet this is exactly what NZ Landcare Trust has achieved. The Trust's upcoming 'Communities for Clean Water' weekend-of-action will offer a great opportunity for New Zealanders to experience 'Landcare' in action, and find out why it has such strong cross sector support.

The general public will be able to enjoy a variety of activities focussed around the weekend of 18 - 19 October; such as riparian planting events, native fish workshops, creek clean-ups, helping out at a native plant nursery plus recreation based activities like kayaking and boating trips. Find out what's happening near you at www.cleanwaternz.org.nz

The Trust's ability to bring together such potentially disparate interests over a sensitive subject like freshwater, makes NZ Landcare Trust a pretty special organisation. A major advantage is the variety of highly respected organisations represented on the Board of Trustees; Federated Farmers of New Zealand, Fish & Game NZ, Forest and Bird, Rural Women NZ, Ecologic Foundation, Federation of Maori Authorities and Federated Mountain Clubs. This valuable combination of expertise at governance level ensures the Trust maintains a practical approach to sustainable land and water issues, working alongside farmers, landowners and community groups, helping them to make positive changes where it matters most - on the ground.

Chair of NZ Landcare Trust's Board of Trustees and Representative from Ecologic Foundation Richard Thompson acknowledges the special role the Trust plays. “The Trust’s independence is recognised because we are a collaboration between land user, environmental and recreation groups, all working towards a common landcare goal. It allows us to act as a trusted agent working on behalf of the whole community in a space that is often fraught with conflict and competing interests.”

Rural Women New Zealand's representative on the Board of Trustees and Vice Chair Liz Evans says "Land use is one of the four mainstays of Rural Women New Zealand advocacy, especially out in the regions where members have been active for years in their efforts to limit and clean up pollution. RWNZ's commitment to the NZ Landcare Trust partnership and projects helps maintain and improve the health of rural communities, farms and water quality."

Fish & Game New Zealand and Federated Farmers are often seen on opposite sides of the freshwater debate, yet they both find common ground when it comes to the way NZ Landcare Trust works hand in hand with farmers and rural communities. Both organisations support the practical approach taken by the Trust, where real improvements to water quality come as the result of working alongside people, earning their trust and respect. This is in no small part due to the recognition that farms are businesses, and farmers need to run profitable farming operations while also ensuring management systems are environmentally sustainable.

Forest & Bird also work closely with the Trust on a number of projects and values the community engagement aspects associated with Landcare. This sentiment is echoed by Federated Mountain Clubs who also recognise the importance of building relationships on the ground, which then can translate into positive change. NZ Landcare Trust works closely with iwi. The Federation of Maori Authorities acknowledges the Trust's recognition of iwi values along with the creation of innovative publications supporting kaitiakitanga.

NZ Landcare Trust was established in 1996 and has an enviable track record delivering successful sustainable land and water projects. The Trust works on a range of field based projects, from large ‘catchment based’ projects that deal with complex land and water issues to working at a smaller scale supporting individual landcare groups.

Find out more about NZ Landcare Trust and our work online: www.landcare.org.nz

-END-

© Scoop Media