Manawatū River Leaders Accord
The Manawatū River flows through all of us, it shapes our region and reflects our people. It is our treasure, our taonga, and only by working collectively can we protect and care for it, ensuring our awa flourishes for generations to come. This shared belief led to the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord.
Kei te ora te wai, kei te ora te whenua, kei te ora te tangata
If the water is healthy, the land and the people are nourished
The Manawatū river flows through all of us. It is precious because it is ours.
The Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum are representatives from iwi/hapū, local and central government, farming, and industry leaders along with Massey University and environmental and recreational advocacy groups from around the Manawatū Catchment.
In August 2010 the members of the Manawatū River Leaders' Forum signed an Accord to take action to improve the state of the Manawatū River, and the wider catchment. The Accord set out focus, vision, and goals for the river. The Action Plan sets out the steps to be taken in order to achieve the vision and goals.
The Forums’ goal is to improve the Manawatū River, the mauri (lifeforce) of the Manawatū River Catchment, such that it sustains fish species, and is suitable for contact recreation, in balance with the social, cultural and economic activities of the catchment community.
The first Action Plan (2011 – 2015) was developed and launched to identify priority areas and understand where the most impact could be made, with a subsequent Action Plan (2016-2021) released in 2016. Check out the Manawatū River website to see previous action plans and work.
Forum members are currently feeding into the development of a new action plan, written by the Bioeconomy Science Institute (formally Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Group) which is to be released towards the end of 2026.