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Whanau around the Wainono lagoon south of Timaru hope the latest attempt to clean up their awa will restore stocks of tuna and other species.
Te Runanga o Waihao has been given $517,000 from the Ministry for the Environment through the Te Mana o Te Wai Fund for the work.
Chairperson Graeme Lane says the putea will support actions to improve water quality, rehabilitate or restore cultural values, and develop additional runanga capacity and influence in the management of freshwater issues.
He says a lot of work has already been done in the catchment.
"We had a lot of support from the farmers and they're trying to do their best to help us clean it up as well. It's all the sedimentation , it needs a good flush out and that and I think we can do that now with some more money and with the help of all the locals it's on track to be really good," says Graeme Lane.
The Wainono Lagoon is a 480-hectare coastal lagoon and wetland of national and international importance for its birdlife and native fish, as well as being a long established mahinga kai for the Ngai Tahu hapu of South Canterbury.
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