A conversation about feral goat control in the Kaimais between Environment Waikato and Environment BOP has sparked the creation of a joint approach to keeping water catchments clean on both sides of the ranges.
The Kaimai catchment includes 250,000 hectares draining through the territories of two regional councils, five district councils, and 11 iwi, into Tauranga harbour or the Waihou River.

The Kaimai Ranges.

Populations on both sides of the Kaimais depend on the range's health for the continuation of water supplies for consumption by both rural and urban communities. High priority issues identified in preliminary forays; sedimentation, and arresting run off, are echoed from both the Waikato and BOP sides of the range.
The project is in its infancy, the Tauranga City Council's projects and services committee was told on Tuesday, and it is expected to become a model for similar future collaborations in other parts of the country.
Helping in the matter is the New Zealand Landcare Trust which has $350,000 funding supplied from the Ministry for the Environment for this.
The trust's BOP regional coordinator Kate Akers says a 'from the bottom up” approach with land owners over the next year will determine needs before applying solutions.
The delegation which included Warwick Murray, Robyn Skelton from EBOP, Andrew Baucke and Katrina Knill from DOC, said another unifying factor is the desire expressed by affected communities to become actively involved in preserving and sustaining the Kaimais.