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capacity with interest from
the infrastructure contracting
community, which to date have
been absent from our
funding rounds.
The Strategy will also lead to
increased confidence that the
limited funding dollar of the
Authority is being spent where
it will be most effective.
Of special significance is the
release of the first whole of
catchment Report Card for
the Waikato and Waipa rivers.
This document measures in
a holistic way the health and
wellbeing of these waterways.
As the ultimate clean-up of
the Waikato River is an inter-
generational undertaking,
this Report Card will serve
as an enduring measure
of our progress.
Perhaps the greatest progress
we will see in the next five
years and beyond will not be
through the funding function
of the Authority, but as a result
of effect being given to the
Vision and Strategy. In relation
to the purpose of the Authority
this will be significantly
achieved by the Healthy
Rivers: Plan for Change/Wai
Ora: He Rautaki Whakapaipai.
The Authority, along with
Waikato river iwi and many
stakeholder organisations, has
invested in the collaborative
process to set targets and
limits to restore and protect
the Waikato catchment’s
waterways. This process has
a number of challenges but
the Authority, itself a co-
governed body, welcomes
such a collaborative process to
plan development rather than
the traditional First Schedule
RMA planning approach.
It has to date enabled far
greater information sharing,
round table discussions, and
understanding of different
perspectives.
As a new statutory body we
have been fortunate with the
calibre of board appointees
and the overall continuity
of appointments. Within the
next five years we anticipate
this will continue and it is
vital to our success that it
does as the Five to Fifteen
Year Restoration Strategy is
completed and implemented,
and the Healthy Rivers Plan for
Change/Wai Ora: He Rautaki
Whakapaipai is notified and
moves through the hearing
process.
Equally important to the
continuing success of the
Authority will be the ongoing
high quality of relationships
developed by the Authority
in its first five years. Principal
among these relationships
are our appointers, the
Waikato Regional Council
(ensuring our functions
remain complementary),
Hamilton City and district
councils, industry, and funding
recipients. By working closely
with one another, avoiding
duplication while leveraging
scarce resources and with
a shared commitment to
realising the vision for a
restored and protected
Waikato River catchment we
will be successful.
Bob Penter
Chief Executive
Waikato River Authority
AS THE ULTIMATE CLEAN‑UP
OF THE WAIKATO RIVER IS
AN INTERGENERATIONAL
UNDERTAKING, THIS REPORT
CARD WILL SERVE AS AN
ENDURING MEASURE
OF OUR PROGRESS.
Waikato River Authority
Annual Report
2015
55
www.
waikatoriver
.org.nz