Interest high at Our Waitarakao community drop-in events
It’s been a busy week for the Our Waitarakao project team with two community events held on the draft strategy to improve the health of the Waitarakao Lagoon and its wider catchment.
The South Canterbury Eco Centre hosted the first public drop-in event last Wednesday evening, which focussed on discoveries made within the Waitarakao catchment. Scientists shared research on the biodiversity, including fish and insect species, living across the catchment, including many streams from the rolling countryside that feed into the lagoon area.
The highly interested group of people, including scientists, teachers and many other community members, asked plenty of questions and were also able to hear about the collaborative strategy, which is the product of collaboration between the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua, and Timaru District Council, with input from the local community.
They were able to explore the outcomes proposed to deal with current problems in the unique coastal catchment, as well as future challenges, such as coastal erosion.
Valuable community feedback
The community drop-in, in central Timaru on Tuesday 2 July, covered all aspects of what’s proposed in the draft strategy. Community members who attended this event were keen to stay involved in the project, including offers to help with on-the-ground action.
Chris Fauth, from the Our Waitarakao project team, said he was impressed with the enthusiasm and interest of the people who attended.
“It’s been great to talk to people face-to-face and hear what they think of the draft strategy, and some interesting comments and ideas have been put forward. Hearing direct feedback from people living in Washdyke, a farm in Rosewill, or birdwatching in the lagoon is valuable.”
Chris Fauth from the Our Waitarakao project team (left) talks to Joy and Paul Sagar, who are local conservationists that took part in the community workshops