The Upper Taieri Water Management Steering Group has made a successful application to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Sustainable Farming Fund. The grant will see the group receive $100,000 over two years. 

The project identifies an opportunity for farmers to work together alongside other stakeholders to develop a system to promote ‘whole of community good’. The community will be encouraged to work together to develop better systems through their collective investment and resource utilisation.

The funding will enable the community to contract expert facilitation, project management and technical assistance. The project will be coordinated by Gretchen Robertson of the NZ Landcare Trust. Gretchen coordinated the TAIERI Trust catchment project between 2001-2006. Ms Robertson said “it is great to see a community band together to address an issue that could just as easily be put into the too hard basket. The upper Taieri community are showing great courage to step back as ask ‘how best can we manage of water resources for whole of community benefits’. It is an honour to be involved”. 

The Upper Taieri Water Management Steering Group includes representatives of the Strath Taieri Irrigators, Maniototo Irrigation Company, Kyeburn Irrigation Committee, Pigurn/Sowburn Water-Users and other individual water take consent and deemed permit holders.