Keeping It Clear: How Can We Protect the Upper Clutha’s Precious Waterways
Many of us have lived here a long time and watched the Upper Clutha’s lakes and rivers through the seasons and decades–from glassy calm mornings on Lake Wānaka to the spring surges of the mighty Mata au | Clutha River. You will have memories of how things used to be–and no doubt have noticed the changes over time.
At WAI Wānaka, our purpose is simple but ambitious: to protect and restore the health of freshwater for generations to come. It’s a pretty big job, but the good news is we’re not doing it alone.
WAI Wānaka is a community organisation-born out of local people coming together to find solutions to the environmental challenges we face. We work across the Upper Clutha catchment – from alpine lakes and rivers to the wetlands, farmland, towns and stormwater drains.
The work we do connects many parts of our community – local individuals, catchment groups, landowners, councils, businesses, schools, community groups and visitors. We believe everyone has a role to play in protecting our freshwater, and we’re here to help bring people together to do just that.
WHY DOES FRESHWATER NEED PROTECTING?
Freshwater might seem abundant here – after all, we’ve got big lakes, lots of rainfall, and snowmelt. But we’re seeing the quality of our water is under increasing pressure.
What are the pressures on freshwater?
- Intensifying land use: more activity on the land means more risk of sediment, nutrients, and contaminants entering the waterways.
- Urban development and stormwater runoff: as our towns grow, more and more hard surfaces are created, which means more polluted water flowing directly into the local lakes and streams.
- Tourism growth: more people on the land and in the water puts extra pressure on our infrastructure, ecosystems, and our most popular spots.
- Aquatic pests: invaders like lagarosiphon and didymo can choke waterways and alter habitats. Once they’re here, they’re like a guest that never wants to leave and are incredibly hard to remove.
- Climate change: more frequent droughts, heavier rain events, and shifting seasons – all of which put strain on water systems.
Quite simply, more people equals more boats, more cars, more pressure on our infrastructure.
Everything that happens on the land – from the farm to the town, on the roadside or your backyard, eventually finds its way into our waterways. That’s why we take a whole-catchment approach.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR WATERWAYS?
The good news is Lakes Wānaka, Hāwea and the Mata Au | Clutha River still have some of the best water quality in Aotearoa. Monitoring shows that most sites in the Upper Clutha meet or exceed national guidelines for water quality, and these lakes and rivers remain a source of pride and joy for the community.
But we’re also seeing early warning signs – which many of you may have noticed also.
- Water quality is starting to decline. For example, Lake Wānaka, has recently shifted from an “excellent” to a “good” rating in some measures, and we see more frequent spikes in E.coli after heavy rain – likely from stormwater runoff entering our swimming spots.
- Urban streams around Wānaka show more nutrients and sediment. For example, nitrogen and phosphorus, which come from roads, gardens and roofs, washing into the waterways when it rains.
- More algae and aquatic pests. We’re seeing more algal blooms and the spread of lake snow. It’s not harmful to humans, but it affects water clarity, clogs gear and filters, and disrupts ecosystems.
- There are signs of ecological change too. One example is the submerged plant index in Lake Wānaka – a measure of underwater biodiversity – which has shifted from “excellent” to “high”. It’s a subtle change, but it tells us things are heading in the wrong direction.
None of this means the water is bad – far from it. But it’s not quite as pristine as it once was. And these small changes are early signals. If we act now, we have the chance to protect what we still have, rather than try to fix what’s been lost.
WHAT DOES WAI WĀNAKA DO? WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE COMMUNITY?
- Supporting rural catchment groups: we support catchment groups in the Upper Clutha with facilitation and project development so they can progress faster, to achieving their collective freshwater and biodiversity goals across the land.
- On-farm support for individual farms: including native planting, maintenance, fencing (waterway and rabbit exclusion), wilding pine control, pest and predator control (animal and plant), and biodiversity and water monitoring. All of this is made possible thanks to the support of Ministry of Primary Industries and their funding.
- Urban waterways and stormwater: as the Upper Clutha grows, so do the challenges around urban stormwater. We’re advocating for “spongier” towns through water-sensitive urban design to help slow water down and clean it before it hits the lake. This could look like rain gardens, wetlands, swales and green spaces that soak up and filter runoff.
We also support local residents in town by setting up urban action groups that protect and restore urban waterways. This is done through riarian and wetland planting, pest control, invasive plant pest removal, water and biodiversity monitoring.
- Education and citizen science: we believe that lasting change starts with people – and that means supporting behaviour change, not just delivering information. Our goal is to make it easier for people to understand the impact of their actions, and to take small, meaningful steps that protect freshwater.
We run outreach programmes with local preschools, primary schools, the high school as well as across the wider community – all designed to build stronger connections to our lakes and rivers, and to turn awareness into action.
Some of our hands-on programmes include:
- Microplastics research
- Stream health monitoring
- Litter intelligence surveys
At community clean-up events, volunteers don’t just pick up rubbish – they gather valuable data that feeds into national databases like Sustainable Coastlines’ Litter Intelligence programme, helping to shape national and local policy.
Our Adopt A Drain programme gives households, businesses and community groups a practical way to care for their local stormwater drains – reducing pollution at the source and protecting water quality before it even reaches the lake.
Ultimately, we are working to build a community of freshwater champions – people who are not only informed, but also equipped and motivated to make choices that lead to healthier waterways.
WAI Wānaka iniatives: Adopt A Drain, WAI staff gathering samples for a ‘Get Your Feet Wet’ session. Photos by: Deanna Gerlach
- Advocacy and advisory roles: we advocate for more local monitoring and research to better inform and provide evidence for decisions make about the local lakes. We are members of the Deep Lakes Technical Advisory Group and play an active role in shaping the Upper Lakes Integrated Catchment Management Plan – both at the governance and operational level. We’re often asked to provide feedback on draft council plans, such as the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Climate and Biodiversity Plan, to ensure freshwater and community voices are heard.
- Building partnerships and driving collaboration: we are connectors and collaboration is very much at the core of what we do. Understanding where the gaps are, we work together with government agencies, industry, local businesses and the community to understand how we can work on making things better.
- Science and research: underpins everything we do. We see ourselves as “science communicators” and work closely with Crown Research Institutes, councils, universities and local knowledge holders to align research with what matters on the ground.
We focus on:
- Translating science into accessible, community-friendly language
- Supporting local research that leads into action in the region
We’re not the experts in everything – but we know how to bring the right people to the table and make things happen.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Protecting freshwater isn’t just a job for locals, scientists, councils or even WAI Wānaka. It’s a job for all of us. And that means there’s a role for you – no matter your background or where you live.
If you’re curious about what’s happening or wondering how you can contribute, there’s a few ways you can get involved:
- Stay informed: sign up to the WAI Wānaka newsletter, head along to one of our events or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Join or support a local group: whether it’s planting days, microplastic sampling, or beach clean-ups – many hands really do make light work.
- Pass it on: talk to your tamariki, and grandkids about the changes you’ve seen, what you value about this place we call home and what’s at stake.
- Advocate for nature: in your neighbourhood, your networks or at public meetings.
You don’t need to be an expert. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is to simply care, ask questions and stay connected.
We are a registered charity, and like many community-led organisations, we rely on the support of grants, partnerships and donations to keep this work going. If you’re ever in a position to support the work the team do, we would be incredibly grateful – but just as valuable is your time, your voice and your local knowledge.
