Taranaki Catchment Communities Inc 

2023 Catchment Group – Taranaki Catchment Communities Inc 

Since 2021, Taranaki Catchment Communities has used an evidence-based approach to help both rural and urban locals live in harmony with the environment.

It was established by a group of farmers and growers who wanted to lead, mobilise and work alongside others towards a more sustainable future for the Taranaki region.

The group has put in thousands of volunteer hours and their approach has four main areas of focus: wellbeing, finances, farming techniques and environment.

They work alongside farmers and growers to help them implement good farming practises that are profitable, sustainable and align with government regulations. The group also empowers the wider community to consider environmental sustainability.

Freshwater monitoring and reporting is a priority, along with research to support the farmers implement new technologies.

A common thread through all their work is farmer wellbeing, with the team providing support as farming businesses change and evolve. Their philosophy is based on the understanding that by supporting people to do well mentally, the rural sector will be better prepared to face the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The catchment group’s successful activities include taking AgriKids to local schools, developing a floating wetland, and running workshops on pest control and accounting.

Taranaki Catchment Communities operates 14 catchment groups in the region. Currently it’s overseeing a pest control project being run by Patea River Community Catchment Group that aims to bring the kiwi back to farmland in their area. The group has an existing trapline plan and, over the next three years, will add another 400 traps across the area’s ridges and gullies – targeting mustelid pests like ferrets and stoats, plus rats and hedgehogs.

Guided by careful planning, the team at Taranaki Catchment Communities hopes to continue guiding the region’s rural sector towards a future that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.