Integrated Catchment Management
We've committed to bringing together different activities and structures to look after our land, water, biodiversity and communities as one connected system. Instead of working on issues separately, we'll coordinate our efforts across whole catchments to get better results for everyone.
He ara torowhārahi – mai i ngā maunga ki te moana | A holistic approach – from the mountains to the sea.
This statement is one of the strategic priorities identified in our Long-term Plan, and it describes an approach to environmental stewardship called Integrated Catchment Management (ICM).
‘Mai i ngā maunga ki te moana' ('from the mountains to the sea') illustrates the idea that every part of the environment in a catchment is connected, including land, water, biodiversity and people, with no part in isolation. For example, activities like planting trees to prevent erosion in a catchment's upper reaches can also have positive benefits for ecosystems and communities downstream.
A catchment is like a big bowl made of land. When it rains, all the water in that bowl runs downhill into the same river, lake, or the sea.
For example, in the Whanganui River catchment, water begins as rainfall and springs near Mt Tongariro, then flows into small tributary streams. These streams join to form the Whanganui River, which flows through areas such as Taumarunui and Whanganui before reaching the sea. Everything on the land in the 'bowl', including farming, forests and towns, can affect the river, the life in it, and the life it supports.
Catchments are interconnected systems with natural boundaries. That's why it makes sense to manage them as complete systems.