October Newsletter
Spring is in the air, and so is our October newsletter – your portal to upcoming events, initiatives, and feel-good community news. Let’s dive into it, shall we?
Have a go at sampling for microplastics
Join us on Saturday, 14 October from 10:30am – 1:30pm on the Wānaka Lakefront (near Dinosaur Park) for an all-ages community event.
- Step into the shoes of a researcher and have a go at sampling for microplastics in our freshwater.
- Learn about the equipment used on our research boat and help us name our biggest piece of monitoring equipment: the mighty manta trawl!
- Join in on a lakefront rubbish pick-up to prevent plastic pollution from entering our waterways.
Bring the whānau and come on down for a morning of science, fun and community collaboration – we’ll see you there!
Discover the fun of urban action
Shout out to the Lakeside Road Enhancement Group
This newly formed neighbourhood group has come together alongside volunteers of Te Kākano Aotearoa to restore an area of the Wānaka Lakefront – from the Yacht Club to Eely Point.
A fantastic example of urban action in our community – tau kē L.R.E.G. and Te Kākano!
Calling on residents of the Bremner Bay Area
We’re on a mission to create a volunteer group in your area. Whether you’re a conservation expert or brand new to volunteering, there’s something for everyone when it comes to protecting our local environment.
Please send an email to oliver@waiwanaka.nz to express interest or find out more.
A big step forward for our deepwater lakes
We’re buzzing here at WAI after the success of our recent workshop in collaboration with Otago Regional Council, titled: ‘Knowledge into Action for our Deepwater Lakes’.
The workshop brought together 45 people from across 21 organisations and served as a significant step towards safeguarding our region’s deepwater lakes (Wānaka, Hāwea and Whakatipu).
Celebrating NZFAP Plus certified farms
The New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme Plus (NZFAP Plus) is a higher-level voluntary sustainability standard with three components additional to NZFAP; being People, Farm and Natural Resources and Biosecurity.
In other words, NZFAP+ is a voluntary standard that ensures food produced on a New Zealand farm is safe, high quality and was produced in an environmentally sustainable way.
We’re thrilled to congratulate two farms in our catchment for recently achieving Gold Standard NZFAP Plus accreditations: Spots Creek Station and Criffel Station.
Local farmers are some of the busiest people we know, making it all the more powerful to see so many currently working towards NZFAP Plus and other on-farm initiatives that create positive outcomes for the environment.
Check out our hashtag #uppercluthafarming on Instagram to see for yourself!
Join us for some exciting upcoming events
- Monthly Secchi Disk workshops on the lake – email kelly@waiwanaka.nz to express interest in our next outing.
- 14 October 10:30am – 1:30pm Microplastics Community Event on the Wānaka Lakefront (near Dinosaur Park)
- 26 October 12pm – 1:30pm Veronica Rotman (in partnership with WAI) @ The Wao Summit: Ki uta ki tai – Mountains to Ocean: Microplastics in our Lakes
- 27 October 11am – 12pm David Norton (in partnership with WAI) @ The Wao Summit: Biodiversity on Farm
- 27 October 1pm – 3pm WAI @ The Wao Summit: Soil Health in the Upper Clutha: Revitalising Te Taiao
- 27 October 5pm – 6:30pm WAI @ The Wao Summit: Big Ideas, Tiny Talks
- 28 October 10am – 3pm WAI @ The Wao Summit: Sustainable Communities Tour
