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1.1 The Authority and its role
The overarching purpose of the legislation that created the Waikato River Authority (‘the
Authority’) and the Waikato River Clean-up Trust (the ‘Trust’) is to restore and protect the health
and wellbeing of the Waikato River and its catchment for future generations.
The purpose of the Authority is to:
• set the primary direction through the Vision and Strategy to achieve the restoration and
protection of the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River for future generations
• promote an integrated, holistic, and co-ordinated approach to the implementation of the
Vision and Strategy and the management of the Waikato River
• fund rehabilitation initiatives for the Waikato River in its role as trustee for the Waikato
River Clean-up Trust.
The Authority is the sole trustee of the Waikato River Clean-up Trust. The Trust administers and
distributes a contestable fund to work towards the restoration and protection of the health
and wellbeing of the Waikato River for present and future generations (this forms the Trust’s
objective). In doing so it must pay adequate regard to the Vision and Strategy and the Waikato
River Independent Scoping Study (WRISS). As the sole trustee the Authority determines which
projects receive funding in accordance with criteria set annually.
The area that this Strategy applies to is the Waikato River and its catchment from Huka Falls to
Te Puuaha o Waikato and the upper catchment of the Waipa River through to its junction with
the Waikato River (as shown in the map on page 7). The “River” is defined in the Settlement
Legislation as including the main stem, the tributaries, and all associated lakes and wetlands
within the catchment.
1.2 The purpose of this document
The Trust reviews funding priorities annually to ensure funding continues to be aligned with
the objectives of the Trust and the Authority. To help achieve this the Authority has formed,
with other members of the community, the Waikato River Restoration Forum to support a
comprehensive and connected approach to clean-up projects.
This document forms the Funding Strategy for 2015 for the Trust. It presents the criteria that
the Authority believes will best position the Trust to award funds in a fair and consistent
manner to projects that will not only meet the requirements set out in its legislation but will
also lead to the most efective response for the restoration and protection of the health and
wellbeing of the Waikato River and its catchment.
Priorities are presented both in terms of the geographical areas the Authority believes should
draw particular focus from applicants, and also the nature of the projects the Authority believes
are a high priority in and across those geographical areas.
1.3 The Waikato River Clean-up Fund
The Trust is responsible for administering a Clean-up Fund of $220 million over 30 years. This
year the Trust has decided that up to $6 million will be available in the funding round.
Annual funding decisions are based on:
• Applicants meeting the funding criteria
• Applications being for projects identified as priority areas by the Trust
• The quality of the applications received.
The Clean-up Fund is contestable. The Trust may or may not award all or any of the identified
funds in a funding round as this will depend on the quality of applications received and the
quantity of funding sought by applicants. The Trust may also award a lesser amount than that
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Background and context
Restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River
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