Project Parore in the Bay of Plenty is being named as an entrant in the Catchment Group Award as part of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

The Catchment Group Award is supported by a new partnership between the NZ Farm Environment Trust and NZ Landcare Trust and is designed to showcase and celebrate the great work being done by catchment groups throughout the country.

'We are pleased to introduce this new Catchment Group award that recognises the efforts of a rural community working together to improve water quality in local rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands,” says NZ Farm Environment Trust Chair Joanne van Polanen.

'This new initiative has been well supported throughout the country with catchment groups from north to south participating in this year's awards programme. It is great to be able to share the great work they are doing and inspire others.”

What began in 1999 as a group of concerned community members looking to improve the health of the estuary and environs near Katikati, Uretara Estuary Managers Inc (Project Parore) has expanded today to include all nine stream catchments that enter the northern Tauranga Harbour.

The catchment group's main objectives include conservation activities, supporting local recreational opportunities and enhancing indigenous biodiversity.

To date, they have catchment plans in place with 25 properties within the Te Mania Stream catchment and a further 12 plans for the larger properties within the other catchment areas.

A founding member of the Bay Conservation Alliance, Project Parore sees some of their biggest achievements as the implementation of Catchment Management Plans and work to assess the health of the estuary and waterways.

They have also carried out remediation to fish passage in the local streams, planted many kilometres of riparian planting in partnership with landowners, assisted with the development of 5Ha of new wetlands and identified endangered species throughout their catchment including long-tailed bats and rifleman.

This catchment group entered the Ballance Farm Environment Awards as they want to share the good news stories with the public and farmers to show that profitable farms, through good land management, and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.

The Catchment Group Awards winners will be announced at the upcoming regional Ballance Farm Environment Awards functions in June and July.

Dates are available here: https://nzfetrust.org.nz/events/