HSC Projects
The HSC is constantly a hive of activity, as we are involved in a wide range of projects to deliver on our eight community-established objectives. Each year the committee choose a focus for the year, and for 2023 that is biosecurity (weeds and pests) and biodiversity, which includes the Community Native Nursery. We are also currently part way through the Productive and Sustainable Land Use (PSLU) project which spans two-and-a-half years. You can find out more about each of the focus projects below.
Productive and Sustainable Land Use (PSLU)
The Productive and Sustainable Land Use (PSLU) project, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries, aims to support landowners within the Hakataramea Valley catchment to meet environmental challenges. At the same time, the project seeks to help landowners remain prosperous, and in turn create a more resilient, thriving community.
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The project will enable HSC to lead the development of an integrated catchment environmental plan, specific to the 89,000-hectares within the valley. This will allow the community to set the catchment context, risks, and potential improvements. Mitigation and enhancement projects will be used to demonstrate how plans could be actioned on individual farms within our unique environment. Landowners will be able to use the resources and research to grow their skills and capability and to build on their individual farm environment plans and actions on-farm.
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The project has following three key objectives:
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Develop a catchment-specific integrated environmental plan to support landowners to improve sustainable land-use, meet environmental standards, and enhance community resilience in socio-economic and ecological domains.
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Support landowners to draw on these integrated environmental plan resources and research to create and strengthen their individual Farm Environment Plans (FEPs).
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Carry out demonstration projects to support capability building of landowners to action their FEP’s and improve environmental health.
HSC seeks to provide the following opportunities through the delivery of this project:
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Access to catchment-specific resources to support sustainable land management decisions.
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Improve peer-to-peer and cross-sector learning opportunities that support on-farm decision-making and build community cohesion.
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Effectively communicate and work with iwi and key stakeholders in a manner that avoids over-burdening these external groups and organisations.
The project runs over three years and will be completed by 30 June 2024.
Keep up to date with the project progress on our News page, or for more information contact Sarah, pslu@hakatarameasc.co.nz.
Community Native Nursery Project
Developing a local community nursery into a learning hub and facility to propagate and grow native plants began in 2021. Since then, it has flourished. The main aim of the project is to increase biodiversity in our local area, but its value to the local community is proving to be much broader than this.
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Establishing the Community Native Nursery (CNN) within the Waitaki Valley School (WVS) grounds begun in 2022, thanks to a collaborative effort between the Hakataramea Sustainability Collective and the school. At the same time, the action-based education programme got underway for WVS tamariki with community workshops starting later that year.
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WVS sees the project as a rich local curriculum learning and partnership opportunity for students. The integrated education programme combines a mix of hands-on learning modules/units delivered by local and professional experts. The community native nursery supports the education of local plant species propagation. Then planting activities in and around the local area embed the learning through positive experiences preparing, planting and protecting areas of biodiversity.
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The project is being coordinated by the Hakataramea Sustainability Collective (HSC) and is governed by a Steering Group, including Waitaki Valley School (WVS) and community representatives.
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We are grateful for the support of the key project funders - Ministry for Primary Industries and the Lower Waitaki Zone Committee.
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Keep up to date with events and activities on our News page, or for more information contact Laura, community@hakatarameasc.co.nz.
Biosecurity
The biosecurity project aims to reduce weed and animal pest burden in the Hakataramea Valley catchment. Fewer weeds and pests result in greater crop and better animal performance for farmers, as well as enhanced natural biodiversity within the landscape and along waterways.
Our initial focus will be on gorse and broom, while continuing to reduce the incidence of Bennett’s wallabies within the catchment. Other weeds targeted within the project include horehound, nassella tussock, wilding conifers and willows. Small animal pests will also be a target for the 2023/24 period with a workshop planned promoting control by Hakataramea land managers for early 2024.
Strategic weed and animal pest control initiatives which are well supported by the community provide economic and aesthetic benefits and help to make the Hakataramea Valley a destination to be enjoyed by both locals and visitors.