Welcome to the first of our fortnightly WAI Wānaka – Jobs for Nature updates! In these updates, we’ll send through brief snippets about the Jobs for Nature work programme. Rabbit Control The teams have been busy undertaking rabbit fence checking and maintenance. We work with Peter Preston to advise… Read More
As we start to wind down and get excited about the upcoming break, we wanted to say a huge thank you to all of our supporters, friends, stakeholders and partners like you who have helped us this year. It’s been a big year for WAI Wānaka with many people behind… Read More
Teens keen to engage with nature WAI Wānaka team members spent 3 days early December 2020 working alongside Year 10 students from MAC on the lakefront with another day supporting the Waterwise Otago Leadership Programme for young adult leaders from across Otago. WAI Wānaka is developing a citizen… Read More
Melanie Vermeulen did a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Ecology. Her focus at the time was on palaeoecology and the ecological interactions that are lost with species extinction. For her thesis, she used ancient DNA analysis on moa coprolites (fossil dung) to look at diet and gastrointestinal parasites of… Read More
Catchment groups across the Upper Clutha have been taking action to improve water and land ecosystems. WAI Wānaka arranged for five high country stations to welcome Reset Summit attendees onto their properties. These visits provided an opportunity for farmers and townsfolk alike to learn… Read More
A Wanaka project will get $3 million to deliver improvements in freshwater quality and biodiversity, and provide jobs, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “The WAI Wānaka Jobs for Nature project will provide much-needed work for those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19,” said Mr O’Connor. “These jobs will… Read More
With more and more people focusing on their personal impact on the environment, our relationship with both food and textiles comes sharply into focus. Late October 2020, Wānaka charity WAO is hosting its annual summit, and one track of the summit focuses squarely on Food and Fibre. The talks begin… Read More
WAI Wānaka’s work with the community has led to the development of a Community Catchment Plan (CCP) to safeguard water quality and ecosystem function in an integrated way across the whole catchment, encompassing Lake Wānaka, Lake Hāwea and the Clutha, Hāwea and Cardrona Rivers. The development of the CCP involved… Read More