A ground-breaking collaboration between dairy industry body DairyNZ, the Waikato River Authority and Waikato Regional Council is lining up to better protect and restore the Waikato River.
Their Waikato River Restoration Strategy project was launched near Hamilton today by Environment Minister Nick Smith. It’s believed to be the first collaborative initiative of its type involving such organisations in the country and will run till 2017.
The Authority and DairyNZ are contributing $200,000 each in direct costs with the regional council contributing $75,000. Other costs will be met by significant in-kind support, such as staff time, from DairyNZ and the council.
A key aim of the new Waikato River Restoration Strategy will be to ensure that this combined work – plus the work of other agencies – is carried out as efficiently as possible, whilst obtaining maximum benefit by ensuring it is integrated and coordinated.
The strategy will help guide investment decisions for improving the health of the Waikato River over the next five to 15 years. It is also designed to guide the work of other stakeholders committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the river.
The strategy will be one of the key tools for delivering on the Vision and Strategy for a restored and protected Waikato River and its catchments.
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