October 17, 2017
Marae step up for Waikato clean-up
The Waikato River Authority has boosted the amount it will spend this year from $6 million to $7.3 million because of the quality of projects that are coming in from the community.
The authority, a co-governance entity involving the crown and representatives of iwi from the Waikato and Waipa catchments, was set up as a result of a treaty settlement.
Chief executive Bob Penter says since 2010 it has funded about 250 projects costing $38 million.
There is now a great sense of engagement from different agricultural sectors, industry, iwi, marae and urban centres.
That can be seen in the projects, which can range from $10,000 to $1 million, covering everything from fencing and riparian planting to ground breaking scientific research.
"We do see a breadth of projects right across the community. This year what’s been really exciting is about 50 percent of projects have been iwi, marae-based or led projects from Waikato River marae and hapu and iwi," Mr Penter says.
The Waikato River Authority is working closely with Waikato Regional Council and Dairy New Zealand to coordinate where spending by the three bodies will be most effective over the next 10 to 15 years and it is finding ways to enhance mainstream scientific approaches through the application of matauranga Maori.
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