Community Catchment Plan
The Community Catchment Plan is our shared roadmap to improve and maintain the long-term health of Upper Clutha’s freshwater
Especially during the warmer months of the year, there are so many ways to enjoy our lakes and rivers. What would happen if they were too polluted to be safe? Looking at what seems like pristine waters, it may be hard to imagine. But many rivers and lakes in our beautiful country are in that position right now. The threats to our freshwater are real, and they are growing. Whether from increased recreation, urban and rural development, the spread of pest flora and fauna or the impacts of climate change, every day our waterways and their delicate ecosystems are under more and more pressure.
Ki uta ki tai – from the mountains to the sea
The responsibility for our waterways, is especially important in the Upper Clutha catchment, given our location at the shores of two treasured South Island alpine lakes and the headwaters of the mighty Mata-Au / Clutha river; the longest river in the South Island with the highest volume in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Community Catchment Plan was created in 2020 with extensive community consultation. It identifies risks to the health of our waterways, gaps in our understanding and 60 actions we need to take in order to mitigate the effects of human activity on our freshwater, improve ecosystem health and reverse biodiversity loss.
COMMUNITY CATCHMENT PLAN OBJECTIVES
Healthy Ecosystems
- Maintain and improve water quality in lakes, rivers, wetlands and aquifers
- Ensure natural waterway habitats are maintained and improved
- The abundance and diversity of aquatic life is maintained and improved
- Ensure water quantity in lakes, rivers, wetlands and aquifers is managed in a way that provides:
- Instream flows for natural variation
- Maintenance of natural lake levels in Lake Wānaka
- Establishment of volume/rate allocation limits for lakes, rivers and aquifers
- Ensure ecological processes are functioning normally
Community Wellbeing
- Provide for safe and effective recreation
- Social wellbeing by enabling:
- Engagement with Government, ORC, QLDC, local community and visitors
- Satisfactory drinking water supply
- Economic wellbeing through sustainable agriculture, tourism and urbanisation
- Cultural values provided for through:
- Sustainable harvest of mahika kai species
- Maintaining ease of access to all waterways
- Maintaining connection to places of spiritual meaning
- Achieving excellence in all aspects of water management
RISKS TO THE HEALTH OF OUR WATERWAYS
The Community Catchment Plan assess pressures on the natural environment including water pollution, drought and flooding, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and loss of natural habitat arising from:
Rural Development
Urban Development
Tourism & Recreation
Pest Flora & Fauna
Climate Change
HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY CATCHMENT PLAN HELP?
It identifies 60 actions that need to be taken to mitigate the effects of human activity on our ecosystems. Some of these fall within the responsibility of the Otago Regional Council and the Queenstown Lakes District Council. Other actions will be led by the community. Most of the actions fall within one of these 5 areas:
LAND MANAGEMENT
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ECOSYSTEM ACTIONS
COLLABORATION
MĀTAURANGA MĀORI
“The collective, sustainable management of our lakes and waterways is a social, economic and environmental imperative.”
– Andrew Gawith
