Auckland
The Auckland Council responded to the problem of degrading water resources by establishing ‘Wai Ora – Healthy Waterways’ team. It aims to foster a community that cares about freshwater and coastal environments, address Auckland’s complex water issues, and protect and enhance freshwater systems and coastal areas.
Wai Ora has divided Auckland into 10 watersheds (an area that drains to a body water). The team have started delivering a staged approach to managing each watershed: mapping the current state and key issues for each watershed; determining how to achieve the objectives and consulting the community; and developing action plans to meet objectives, limits and targets set in collaboration with key stakeholders. It’s expected that this will be completed by 2020.
From a dairy farming perspective the two main areas that need addressing to help water quality in the region are sediment from hills and pasture, and erosion in streambanks.
Every month Fonterra Sustainable Dairy Advisors meet with Wai Ora to discuss progress in reducing impacts from our farms and developing potential future interventions.
Auckland Fonterra farmers’ progress towards some of the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord targets.
98
%
of significant waterways are fenced and have dairy excluded
The Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord defines regular crossing points as “any permanently flowing rivers, streams, drains and springs, more than a metre wide and 30cm deep.”
100
%
of regular stock crossing points have bridges or culverts
The Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord defines regular crossing points as “those used more than once a month to access the milking shed.”
97
%
of farms have collected nutrient management data
Catchment call out
Through the Living Water programme, Fonterra has partnered with the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group.
Together we are addressing environmental management issues to create a healthy and productive Kaipara Harbour catchment which extends across the Auckland and Northland regions.
