The Toitū Te Hakapupu project team has been working with the community to develop a catchment action plan for the Pleasant River catchment. 

A catchment action plan provides important direction in working to protect or enhance an area. It can: 

  • outline the community’s focus and purpose for land and water management in the catchment 
  • identify common values and goals, so people work together (pool resources and efforts) 
  • set out actions and who is responsible for them 
  • provide clarity of purpose - this keeps everyone on track and helps you obtain support for actions and funding 
  • help clarify roles and expectations; and 
  • help provide a framework for tracking progress 

Timeline

Below is a brief timeline detailing the development of the catchment action plan.

May 2023 

Community workshop #1 (more information below) 

June 2023 

Whirika prepared a Context Analysis report to collate information about the catchment, and to inform the development of the catchment action plan. This included, but was not limited to, the following: 

  • Natural and physical characteristics of the catchment 
  • Land use 
  • Social and cultural values; and 
  • Legislative framework 

August 2023 

Community workshop #2 (more information below) 

These hui helped to support the development of the catchment action plan. 

November 2023 

Whirika (formally Ahikā) Consulting developed a draft catchment action plan based on workshop feedback and scientific information and submitted it to ORC. 

November 2023–April 2024  

Whirika (formally Ahikā) worked with ORC to ensure the draft plan aligns with: 

  • Other catchment projects ORC is involved with 
  • Toitū Te Hakapupu project actions  
  • The science team’s approach to monitoring progress; and 
  • Forestry actions 

What’s next?

Work will continue with members and representatives of Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki and East Otago Catchment Group to further develop and refine the draft catchment action plan. 

The plan will then be released to the community (and available on this web page – see below) and feedback will be collected through a community workshop, likely to be in August 2024. 

Following this workshop, the catchment action plan will then be updated based on the community input. 

Community workshops

On 24 May 2023 we held a community workshop to discuss and build on previous community input. 

Attendees at the May 2023
community workshop

We outlined what a catchment management plan is and what it can do before breaking into groups and asking the following of those present: 

  • What do you find special about the Te Hakapupu/Pleasant River catchment? 
  • What is important to you about land and water management in this catchment? 
  • What challenges are facing this catchment? 
  • What would you like this catchment to be like in the long term? 

The workshop also explored the potential for community-led monitoring in the catchment. This monitoring could help evaluate whether actions set out in the catchment management plan are effective. 

Another community hui was held on 14 August 2023 focusing on actions that would improve the health of the catchment. 

Areas of discussion included: 

  • Exploring potential actions to solve issues / achieve outcomes 
  • Considering who can help with actions 
  • Identifying gaps in knowledge and expertise 
  • Prioritising actions / focus areas