Te Moana River Rally well supported
The special environment of South Canterbury’s Te Moana River was explored at a collaborative family-friendly event last weekend.
Around 70 people came along to the Te Moana River Rally on Sunday 14 April, at Tracey and Andrew McKay’s property on the north branch of the Hae Hae Te Moana River, with some recent rain doing little to dampen the spirits of the community initiative.
The day was an opportunity for the community to discover the hidden treasures of the Te Moana River, hear the latest developments and connect with other local groups.
Activities and insights at Wai Connection event
Led by the Wai Connection and coordinated by land management advisors from our Timaru and Ashburton offices and landowner Tracey McKay, the day provided a good array of activities for attendees to get involved.
As part of the gathering, Living Landscapes representative Danette McKeown demonstrated how to use their new Stream Health Riparian Form.
Jan Finlayson spoke about her role with the Landcare Trust, pointing out the service they offer and the support they can provide groups.
In addition, Arowhenua Native Nursery was at the event sharing information about their mahi.
Attendees enjoy the Te Moana River Rally, discovering hidden river gems and mingling with local groups
Hands-on workshops and water quality testing
In a crowd favourite, Wai Connection Mid Canterbury ran workshops taking groups of up to 15, showing them how to test the water quality and carry out invertebrate sampling.
Before the River Rally, Wai Connection representatives had already taken samples from the river – displaying their findings for people to observe and identify.
This was a particular hit with the children, with a free workbook supplied.
Following the group sessions, results of the eDNA testing were presented in a report (given out as a flyer), explaining to the group about the process of collecting the data and what the results meant.
Three youngsters examining their findings as part of the hands-on workshops
Water test results from samples taken during the morning were also presented to the group with guesses taken from the crowd as to what they thought the results would be.
To conclude the day, the group enjoyed a well-deserved lunch, with food supplied by Freshchoice Geraldine, ANZCO Meats and the McKay family.
Find out more about:
Workshop participants investigate the water clarity as part of the water quality testing activity
Other projects happening in this area:
Help us to improve Kakahu Rivers water quality
The Kakahu River has poor water quality. As part of a phosphorus management project, we are working with all landowners and contractors in the Kakahu catchment to improve its health.
We are providing:
- free advice on mitigations to reduce phosphorous and contaminant run-off to waterways
- assistance with funding support for on-farm works
- access to mapping tools and other practical support.
Contact our Land Management and Biodiversity Advisor, Nicky Reddecliffe for more information.