Catchment area
Regions: Taranaki/Manawatu, Wanganui
Maxwell/Pakaraka to Westmere, main waterways Ototoka, Okehu, Kai Iwi, Mowhanau and Omapu. Size
Ototoka = 2928 ha, Okehu 6861 h, Kai Iwi 19128 h, Mowhanau 2907 h, Omapu 572 h, Collective total = 32396 hectares (MFE data)
About
Committee Members Duncan Matthews, George Matthews, Anne-Marie Broughton, Fraser Middleton, Harriet Horrocks, Danny Broughton, Donald Richards, Mike Russell, Toiora Hawira, Bruce Dave, Jason Reid, Alan Davidson, Christopher Blair, Erin Carver.
Committee executive: George Matthews (Chair), Anne-Marie Broughton (Co-Chair), Mike Russell (Treasurer), Harriet Horrocks (Administrator).
Key issues - High E Coli levels/contaminating swimming areas, sediment runoff/erosion, nutrient runoff/algal blooms.
Key focus areas - social, educational, cultural, recreation.
A great place to live, learn, work and play. Aim to support farmer and community spirit with education and action on the ground and strengthen farmers and growers social license to operate. Become the go to group for connecting landowners with the information and funding they need to achieve sustainable land use. Have healthy waterways and whenua to support safe mahinga kai practices, retention of matauranga Maori and tangata wellbeing. Re-introduce and rebuild plant and animal species to create resilient ecosystems and support cultural practices, support sustainable farm management for profitability via education, diversification and innovation. Encourage and support landowners, farmers, whanau, hapu, iwi, communities and agencies to work together to improve water quality, biodiversity and carbon neutral/ carbon positive farming systems. Identify climate change risks and impacts within the catchment and develop solutions. Protect and restore wetlands to support natural filtration systems.
Called as a public meeting 9/03/2020 to discuss the water quality of local streams. First community meeting attended by more than 80 people. Unanimously agreed to establish a group to improve water quality within the ototoka, okehu, kai iwi, mowhanau and omapu catchments. Working group undertook job of exploring community neds and requirements to set up a catchment group. Second community meeting June 2021 confirmed the establishment of Whanganui West Catchment Group incorporated society. 15 members formed the official requirement to register as an incorporated society and were appointed as the inaugural committee. Size and membership was reviewed at 2022 AGM, David Cotton stepped down from committee replaced by Erin Carver