Stories from our network

Lisa Stevenson and her husband John believe it’s important for farmers to have a say on environmental regulations which have significant impacts on farming families and livelihoods. This is the main reason they became involved with setting up the Parkvale Catchment...

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” says Lynsey Parkes, Coordinator for the Wakamoekau Catchment group. And before the farmers and lifestylers of Matahiwi Rd near Masterton came together as a catchment group, they didn’t know nearly as much about the waterway that...

Kei te mahi tātou mō te taiao | Communities working together for nature We’re doing it Wairarapa, and together we’re making a difference. Every day, locals are out there planting and weeding, pest-trapping and tracking, water monitoring and habitat building. And if...

Executive Summary Multiple pest animal species are present across the Wairarapa landscape and are impacting indigenous ecosystems, as well as farming and forestry economies. Multiple pest animal control projects are occurring within the region, which are all...

You might have heard about the “circle of influence” or the “circle of control” – ideas made popular by author Stephen R. Covey. They refer to the things we worry about that we can actually have an impact on or control over. So while John Argue knows that he can’t...

“We have to start somewhere,” says Michael Birch, staring down at the muddy water gushing under the bridge. “So we may as well start right here.” “Right here” is the Taueru River which flows from northeast of Masterton and joins the Ruamahanga River at Gladstone....

Take a moment to take action for nature this Conservation Week, 5 – 11 September 2022. Conservation Week is an opportunity for you to take action and show your support for nature. Taking action benefits nature, and our personal wellbeing. Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te...

Become a Backyard Conservation Hero! Learn how you can create a backyard wildlife haven and trap those pesky predators to help our native wildlife thrive. Wairarapa Pūkaha to Kawakawa has teamed up with the Department of Conservation, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre...

Jane Lenting would be stoked if you contacted her to say you’d been dive-bombed by a kārearea/New Zealand falcon. While it may have been an unsettling experience for you, it would be welcome evidence of where kārearea are breeding in the Wairarapa. Kārearea are...

The Parkvale Catchment Charitable Trust has been in full swing over recent months, kicking off with a field day held at Wiltons Road Dairy in April. This was a well-attended day with over 70 people attending the event. The day involved a social get-together with BBQ...

Restoration Day 2022 left attendees feeling inspired about how we can connect people with nature, celebrate our environment’s significance and restore the mana of Wairarapa Moana. From tiny bullies flicking in and out of the torchlight, to the plans in place for...

Ko Wairarapa te moana. Wairarapa is my ocean. Ko Maungarake te maunga. Maungarake is my mountain. Ko Ruamahanga te awa. Ruamahanga is my river. Ko Kurahaupō rāua ko Tākitimu ngā waka. Kurahaupō and Tākitimu are my ancestral canoes. Ko Te Poho o Tutawake rāua ko...

We can’t make any more water. Whether it’s pumping through our bloodstream, trickling down a creek, flushing down a toilet or crashing as a wave onto a beach, there’s always the same amount of water for Planet Earth, endlessly recycling through the water cycle. To...

The Wairarapa Pūkaha to Kawakawa Alliance (WaiP2K) is a community-led network. It brings many different groups together to increase the health of Wairarapa ecosystems, biodiversity, water and the resilience of its communities and to respond to climate change. Included...

Greater Wellington is asking those interested in restoring the environment to register for Restoration Day. Held on Saturday 28 May, the annual event is thanking local environmental restoration groups for their efforts. Taking place in Wairarapa, it’s run by Greater...

by Ali Mackisack So you’ve heard a bit and read a bit about Community Catchment Groups (CCGs). You’ve thought, “hey, great idea” and have had a chat with a few neighbouring landowners about some of the ideas you’ve tossed around amongst yourselves over the years....

by Ali Mackisack She’s been spending her days looking at tiny pictures of sounds. The sounds reveal themselves as lines of varying lengths and shades, yet many many times, the picture frames on her computer screen are simply blank. But when a sound picture appears,...

by Ali Mackisack Outside the hall, there’s a 3 litre diesel ute parked next to a tiny electric car. The variety in the vehicles parked in the paddock-cum-carpark reflects the variance in the kinds of people inside the hall, where large-station owners sit alongside...

by Ali Mackisack Kate Wyeth had a whole list of things she wanted to do in Masterton – a long list of “town jobs” to tick off before being interviewed about the plan she’s helped develop to grow and support farmer-led Catchment Communities across the Wairarapa....

by Ali Mackisack Remember the joys of fossicking around in a river or creek – dipping your net into the water and turning over rocks to discover what was underneath? New technology takes that joy of discovery even deeper, allowing us to find out exactly what’s in our...

Restoration Day 2022 will be held here in the Wairarapa putting the spotlight on the amazing mahi happening in our special part of the region. Restoration Day is an annual event led by Greater Wellington and the Department of Conservation in collaboration with a range...

by Ali Mackisack  “When it comes to biodiversity, sometimes finding out what isn’t there, is just as important as finding out what is there,” says Sam Rammell, a Master's student in Ecological Restoration at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington....