Te Ana Wai Catchment Group
Te Ana Wai Catchment Group is one of the larger catchment groups in South Canterbury.
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In a region where water quality concerns dominate the conversation, Te Ana Wai stands out, with some of the cleanest water in Canterbury, supporting endangered species like lamprey, longfin eels, and bluegill bullies, as well as torrentfish and chinook salmon.
eDNA Survey
Te Ana Wai Catchment Group undertook a number of samples as part of the Living Landscapes eDNA survey. Habitat quality varied from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Good’, with variation in river flows appearing to have a significant effect. This supports and aligns with what we already know; that a shortage of water, minimal irrigation, and landscape settings which naturally removes nitrates, means the impact of what people are doing now is not the dominant control over stream health. The eDNA survey also detected highly valued fish species such as kanakna (lamprey) and chinook salmon.
Farm Plan Workshops
​Farmer to farmer learning is very important in Te Ana Wai Catchment Group, and we have undertaken a number of workshops to learn about Physiographic Maps and stream health, and prepare winter grazing plans and freshwater focussed farm plans together in a community context.
Winter Grazing Workshop
Feral Pests
Feral pests (especially wallabies) have a major impact on farm production and native values in hill and high-country areas, and the catchment group is part of the Mt Nimrod Wallaby Control Project, along with Pareora Catchment Group and Hakataramea Sustainability Collective. This work will be very important, to sustain productive farming, for native forest regeneration, and to make riparian planting viable.
Get in touch:
Sam Bray - Catchment Group Chair
022 555 1981
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