Among King Country River Care members at the awards evening, were from left, back row: Russell Proffit, Blair Nelson, Brian Johns, Pete Walter, Peter Keeling, front, Charles Taituha, Chris Irons, Anna Nelson, Robyn Williamson, Matt Sherriff.
King Country River Care has been honoured for its environmental work, at the 2024 Balance Farm Environment Awards, held last week. “We commend River Care for achieving positive change for the King Country Community,” Balance spokesperson Debbie Henderson said. KCRC coordinator Anna Nelson said members and supporters were encouraged by the recognition they had received. “For us it’s about a lot more than riparian planting; we support farmers and rural businesses to find a pathway to bring them a viable and thriving future. Another aim is to see more young people come back into our communities. We want to see everyone do the right thing by the environment and our rural communities.” The incorporated society established in 2018, took a long-term view to care for our environment, our people and our communities, Anna added. “We’re helping farmers understand their environmental impact and get ahead of anticipated regulatory change by pooling their resources. We aim to build knowledge and understanding, source funding, and work alongside farmers to promote sustainable farming practices. “Our catchment areas cover over 200,000 hectares and an estimated 5000km of rivers and streams. Our geographical boundary extends from the Mokau River in the south, to the Kawhia Harbour in the north and across to Maniaiti /Benneydale and Rangitoto in the east.” Key focuses included fostering kaitiakitanga; farmer engagement; building community engagement; inspiring, enabling, and support behaviour change; providing opportunities for King Country farmers to lead by example and facilitate and supporting community resilience.
