1. WAITUNA STRATEGIC PLAN
As there was already a partners group working to improve Waituna Lagoon, Living Water needed to identify a focus so as not to duplicate what others were doing and to ensure our work contributed to a bigger picture and had impact. Designing and implementing a catchment-wide approach to nutrient and sediment management was one area that the Partners Group advised Living Water could lead. This work includes:
identifying what nutrient and sediment attenuation tools could be the most effective in which locations
ground truthing existing land and water management models
recording potential sites for large scale nutrient and sediment attenuation tools for the whole catchment.

2. Living Water is a partnership with a vision
Living Water is a programme that delivers activities
Living Water is a champion for change

3. A sustainable dairy industry is part of healthy
OUR VISION
A sustainable dairy industry is part of healthy
functioning ecosystems that enrich
the lives of all New Zealanders

4. DOC and Fonterra staff work together, side by side on the ground
OUR INVESTMENT
We are working in five sites across New Zealand, starting with $20m over 10 years
DOC and Fonterra staff work together, side by side on the ground
We actively seek collaboration with other partners to bring together skills, ideas, and additional funding

5. OUR PURPOSE
To implement game-changing and scalable solutions that demonstrate sustainable dairying in healthy freshwater ecosystems

6. OUR SCOPE
We are focused on the interface between dairy farming practice and freshwater ecosystems.
We prioritise on-farm actions, improving freshwater quality, and reconnecting lowland habitats via freshwater corridors.
Our work needs to contribute towards advancing sustainable farming systems in New Zealand’s agricultural sector.

7. Environmental Economic Social and Cultural
OUR LONG TERM OUTCOMES
Environmental
healthy resilient lowland freshwater ecosystems
Economic
profitable responsible dairying
Social and Cultural
a shared understanding of the interdependence of agriculture, economy and environment

8. OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES & APPROACH
Restore freshwater ecosystems & build ecological resilience
Accelerate
environmentally sustainable farming practices
Work with farmers, iwi, partners and communities on scalable solutions
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Collaborate and Partner | Integrate Mātauranga Māori | Create Connections
Above and Beyond Regulation | Measurable and Repeatable | Learn and Share

9. OUR IMPLEMENTATION CONTEXT – AGRICULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND
ENHANCED
CURRENT STATE
Individual sites (public & private)
Good management practice
People taking action to meet current or future regulatory limits within current economic tolerances
TRANSITIONAL STATE
Sites as part of a catchment
Prioritised actions based on ‘best bang for buck’ and contribution to catchment outcomes
Communities working together towards voluntary targets / aspirations
UNKNOWN
FUTURE STATE
Diversification / disruption
Socio-ecological resilience
Climate change adaptation
NZ’s opportunity in changing global markets
Living Water is ground-truthing the theory, freshwater-farming demonstrations at multi-farm scale, contribute to integrated catchment projects, calculate costs of implementation
Living Water is contributing to conversations led by others and providing evidence / learnings
Living Water is adding ecological considerations into FEPs and funds acceleration & restoration projects
Living Water fits into a broader agricultural context in NZ. We see lots of people trying to enhance the current state, and there are lots of people talking about potential future states, and Living Water has a role in these. But where we have the biggest opportunity is designing and providing ‘proof-of-concept’ of a ‘transitional state’ relating to farming and freshwater ecosystems. And all of the work we do builds towards creating a resilient landscape that is ready for any future productive land use.
LIVING WATER AIMS TO BUILD A RESILIENT LANDSCAPE READY FOR ANY FUTURE PRODUCTIVE LAND USE

10. OUR IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
Build it
show people what a Living Water farm could look like
Operationalise it
what capability, capacity and support does the farming sector and communities need to get there
Cost it
what is the cost of conversion (farm, catchment and national scales) so farmers and communities can plan for future investment
For all our work we are looking to do three key things: build it, operationalise it and cost it, so learnings and evidence can be shared and taken to scale.

11. AWARUA-WAITUNA CATCHMENT

12. AWARUA-WAITUNA: THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Significant loss of wetland and freshwater ecosystems and lowland habitat
Poor water quality caused by high levels of suspended sediment, nutrients (P and N), and phosphorous leach from hydrologically sensitive peat soils
Modified waterway, wetland and lagoon hydrology due to primarily managed for drainage to reduce the threat of flooding for landowners in the catchment

13. Social awareness of freshwater issues Water management
WAITUNA: SOCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
Social awareness of freshwater issues
There is a high level of community awareness about the ecological state of Waituna Lagoon, so farmers are motivated to find solutions
Water management
Environmental Southland utilises local drainage committees to oversee waterway management, with the committee made up of representatives of landowners who pay a drainage levy

14. Mana oranga; Mana tangata; Mana ki uta; Mana ki tai; Mana Waituna
WAITUNA VISION
Mana oranga; Mana tangata; Mana ki uta; Mana ki tai; Mana Waituna
Ensuring the wellbeing of the people, the land, the waters, the ecosystems and the life force of the Waituna catchment and lagoon, now and for future generations through a partnership approach
The Waituna catchment has an existing strategy and action plan that Living Water has used to help identify our focus and guide our strategic planning.

15. Healthy catchment and lagoon
WAITUNA STRATEGIC OUTCOMES THAT LIVING WATER ACTIVITIES WILL LCONTRIBUTE TOWARDS
Healthy catchment and lagoon
Thriving communities and sustainable economies
Abundant and healthy mahinga kai
Healthy streams – habitat and water quality
Protect enhance and value biodiversity
Ngai Tahu able to exercise Kaitiakitanga
Living Water is contributing to the agreed outcomes in the Waituna Strategy and Action Plan.

16. WHAKAMANA TE WAITUNA INTEGRATED PROJECT
WHAKAMANA TE WAITUNA GOVERNANCE GROUP
WORKSTREAM 1:
Access, Community & Resilience
WORKSTREAM 2:
Lagoon Hydrology & Landward Buffer Establishment
WORKSTREAM 3:
Catchment Nutrient & Sediment Pathway Programme
WORKSTREAM 4:
Governance, Finance, Operational Processes and Systems
LIVING WATER ROLE:
Workstream Member
Advisory
Planning
Enabling
Support
LIVING WATER ROLE:
N/A
DOC represented via Arawai-Kakariki
Fonterra represented via Farm Source Team and Landowners
LIVING WATER ROLE:
Workstream Leader
Planning
Delivery
Monitoring
Evaluation
LIVING WATER ROLE:
Workstream Member
Advisory
Planning
Enabling
Support
The Waituna Partners Group (Whakamana Te Waituna Governance Group) have agreed a five-year integrated work programme to improve Waituna Lagoon. Living Water is a participant in this work programme, with a leadership role for the Catchment Nutrient & Sediment Pathway Programme.

17. LIVING WATER’S FOCUS IN AWARUA-WAITUNA
Designing and implementing a catchment-wide approach to nutrient and sediment management using solutions that build ecological resilience (as part of the Whakamana Te Waituna integrated freshwater improvement programme).
As there was already a partners group working to improve Waituna Lagoon, Living Water needed to identify a focus so as not to duplicate what others were doing and to ensure our work contributed to a bigger picture and had impact. Designing and implementing a catchment-wide approach to nutrient and sediment management was one area that the Partners Group advised Living Water could lead. This work includes:
identifying what nutrient and sediment attenuation tools could be the most effective in which locations
ground truthing existing land and water management models
recording potential sites for large scale nutrient and sediment attenuation tools for the whole catchment.

18. THEORY OF CHANGE / CHANGE JOURNEY [under development]
Site specific targets that Living Water impact will be measured against are currently under development.

19. OUR TARGETS (under development)
The Whakamana Te Waituna programme is working to:
Develop a landward buffer around the lagoon
Develop nutrient and sediment interventions to protect the lagoon and tributaries
Enhance social, cultural and environmental resilience, and improve access to the lagoon for the community as a whole
We want to see:
An increase in on-farm freshwater/fish habitat
Reduction in nutrient loads
Wetland areas in the catchment maintained and increased
100% Fonterra farms engaged
100% landowners engaged
Site specific targets that Living Water impact will be measured against are currently under development.

20. IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES / PROJECTS
RESTORE
Freshwater Ecosystems
ACCELERATE
Sustainable Farming
PARTNER
With Others
GAME CHANGER
SCALABLE
LW Farm Environment Plans (FEPs) Project for all Fonterra farms (40) in the catchment X
Nutrient and Sediment Management Toolbox Project in partnership with DairyNZ and NIWA
Lower Waituna Creek Transformation Project in partnership with the Department of Conservation
Catchment-Wide Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Programme (as part of the Whakamana Te Waituna integrated catchment programme)

21. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Environment Southland
Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu
Te Runanga o Awarua
DOC Arawai-Kakareikei Project
Central Government (MfE)

22. PHASE 1 Years 1-3 PHASE 2 Years 4-5 PHASE 3 Years 6-10 OUR ROADMAP
Baseline information gathering (hydro modelling, filter trials, physiographics, ecology)
Concept developed for Lower Waituna Creek Project
Initial on-farm wetland and riparian protection and planting
Concept development of Whakamana Te Waituna (the integrated work programme) with Waituna Partners Group
Complete N & P Filter trials and Physiographics work
Complete LW FEP’s for all Fonterra farms
Pilot nutrient & sediment reduction tools
Complete planning of the Lower Waituna Creek transformation project and start implementation
Co-design of Whakamana Te Waituna (the integrated work programme) with partners
Develop contaminant reduction intervention tool box
Participate in Whakamana Te Waituna
Lead nutrient and sediment management programme design and implementation
Complete Lower Waituna Creek Project
PHASE 1
Years 1-3
PHASE 2
Years 4-5
PHASE 3
Years 6-10

23. ‘ENHANCED’ CURRENT STATE TRANSITIONAL STATE ‘UNKNOWN’ FUTURE STATE
OUR INVESTMENT
AWARUA-WAITUNA CATCHMENT
‘ENHANCED’
CURRENT STATE
Riparian planting of Waituna Creek sites
On farm wetland and riparian protection and plantings
TRANSITIONAL STATE
Whakamana Te Waituna Integrated Catchment Programme
LW leading a workstream focused on nutrient and sediment management at a catchment scale
‘UNKNOWN’
FUTURE STATE
Participate in regional discussions led by Environment Southland
RESOURCES
FY14-17: $911,000
FY18-23: $128,000
RESOURCES
FY14-17: $300,000
FY18-23: $3,000,000
RESOURCES
FY14-17: N/A
FY18-23: Staff Time

24. OUR DIRECT IMPACTS BY 2023
Living Water Farm Environment Plans completed for all Fonterra farms and the approach has been shared and taken up by other landowners
A proven nutrient and sediment reduction ‘tool box’ is in place and there is a waiting list of farmers in Southland wanting to take action
Completed the Lower Waituna Creek Transformation Project and the results have proven the multiple benefits of transforming agricultural drains into healthy waterways
Catchment-Wide Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Programme is being implemented and there are reduced contaminant loads entering Waituna Lagoon based on agree modelling and monitoring
Farmers see good management practice as day-to-day practice (just what we do here)
Increased farmer awareness of the benefits of natural processes in an agricultural landscape
Environment Southland and other land managers are using the Waituna learnings for other Southland catchments