Young people over the length and breadth of New Zealand are working hard to improve the quality of our rivers. We all have a part to play in protecting and managing our environment; the NZ River Awards are a way to showcase rivers that are leading the way.
This year the New Zealand River Story Awards recognise and celebrate the contributions of young people. Cawthron Foundation has identified eight stories where individuals, groups, businesses and communities are working together to make a positive difference to the health of our rivers and streams.
Cawthron Foundation Manager, Elizabeth Bean says “the river space is important to all kiwis and all the projects that we heard about illustrate younger people doing positive things to help improve river quality. There were so many inspiring stories about projects that involved community collaboration, science and other innovative ways to address freshwater-related challenges. And with so many to choose from, our biggest problem was identifying eight finalist projects.”
Summaries of the following eight projects are currently being judged by leading New Zealand journalist and natural history author, Gerard Hutching.
• Northland: Dargaville Intermediate is helping the environment and its own budget at the same time by raising native plants to sell to other groups involved in riparian planting
• Waikato: Conservation-minded primary students from Tauwhare School are off to Melbourne to talk about their recent activity on the Waitakaruru Stream
• Hawkes Bay: Te Kaha Hawaikirangi is only 30-years old but has already spent years leading the charge to restore the Tutaekuri River in Hawkes Bay
• Wellington: Koraunui School is playing a crucial part in restoring whitebait and other native fish to the upper reaches of Stokes Valley Stream
• Nelson/Tasman: Along Poorman’s Stream children from primary, intermediate and secondary schools are finding that cleaning up their local stream requires commitment from the whole community and takes a long time
• Nelson/Tasman: Art meets science in a student exhibition that raises awareness about the York/Te Wairepo Stream and carries a real-time environmental message
• Canterbury: Children from 16 schools are working hard to bring back the whitebait/inaka to Heathcote/Opawho and Avon/Otakaro Rivers
• Otago: Kauru River is the place where university students took their research out of the classroom into the field; the resulting technology is now used around the world to manage freshwater
The winning River Story will be announced at an event in Wellington on 23 November. The River Awards, which recognise the most improved rivers in each region and nationally, will also be announced.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Elizabeth Bean | Cawthron Foundation Manager, Cawthron Institute
Email: foundation@cawthron.org.nz, Tel: +64 (0)3 539 4336, Mobile: +64 (0)27 4148781
Photo : The 2016 River Story Award went to the Waitao River community in the Bay of Plenty.
