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The most significant
challenge for the Authority
in next five years and
beyond will be maintaining
momentum. This challenge
arises in two ways.
Looking Forward
Firstly, as a result of public
perception that the task of
the Authority may not be
achievable. It is crucial that
partners and stakeholders
believe we can be successful
even though the task ahead is
considerable. We know that
some of the key contaminants
to waterway health we seek
to address have lengthy
lag times measured over
decades. Despite the multi-
million dollar investment
of the Authority, and other
organisations, it seems
likely that key indicators
of waterway health and
wellbeing will continue to
decline. Keeping the river
communities engaged and
supportive of positive change
to the health and wellbeing
of the catchment’s waterways
will require understanding
that the journey will be across
many generations.
The second issue affecting
momentum is capacity.
Once projects move from a
single property scale there
are only a limited number
of organisations within the
catchment that can deliver
larger projects. Once these
organisations are funded to
deliver a sizeable project our
experience has been that they
struggle to find the capacity
to take on additional projects
until the initial project is
completed. Because larger
projects tend to run over three
years or more this effectively
removes them from our
applicant community.
The five to fifteen Year
Waikato River and Waipa
River Restoration Strategy
will act as a game changer on
a number of fronts. However,
in relation to capacity it will
identify specific medium and
large-scale projects. To date
as a funding organisation we
have been largely dependent
on the applicant community
proposing worthwhile
projects. The Restoration
Strategy will allow the
Authority to prioritise
particular projects and almost
in effect ‘call for tenders’ to
deliver these projects. This
could lead to an increase in
THE FIVE TO FIFTEEN YEAR
WAIKATO RIVER AND WAIPA
RIVER RESTORATION STRATEGY
WILL ACT AS A GAME CHANGER
ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS.
Restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River
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