Rivers of change

When Sara Black completed her law degree, she would never have guessed she would become the chief executive of Amuri Irrigation, a director on Marble Point Station, and the North Canterbury Federated Farmers meat and wool chairperson.
But along with being a farmer and mother, Black considers her responsibilities just part of the fabric of rural life.
“In rural communities, it's people juggling multiple hats that keep this place running.
"I'm sure I'm not doing any more than anyone else is doing," she says.
Black grew up in North Canterbury on a dryland sheep and beef property near Hanmer Springs.
After attending Amuri Area School and Christchurch Girls High School, she studied law and arts at the University of Canterbury.
In her final year of study, she met her now husband Matt, a farmer.
The following years were spent with Black practising law, while Matt took on farming positions that had the couple moving around the country, including a stint in Southland.
In 2010, the pair settled back in the Amuri district, running a 2,400-hectare sheep and beef property that supports Angus cattle and Corriedale sheep.
Black believes that the unique skills involved in law and farming have prepared her well for the chief executive role.
"I think law was useful for teaching me the right way to do things and the right steps involved.
"But having a farming background teaches you about the practicalities of life, and despite the best intentions, not everything goes according to plan."
Law taught Black how to invite different perspectives when seeking solutions to problems, a skill she utilises in her leadership style.
'I believe that there is no one thing that can dictate an answer.
"So actually, the right answer takes input from a variety of sources or a variety of different people."
Amuri Irrigation was formed in 1990, a consolidation of three irrigation schemes built by the Ministry of Works covering the Amuri Basin, including the towns of Culverden, Rotherham, and Waiau.
"Anyone who knows Hurunui and North Canterbury knows that even though we have delightful hot summers, sometimes they go on a bit long, and rain isn't always guaranteed.
"So, in the 1970s and 1980s, local farmers got together with the government of the time, who was championing irrigation schemes, and built three schemes."
The schemes now deliver water to 149 properties via a partially piped, partially open-race network from the Waiau Uwha and Hurunui rivers.
"We were very lucky that the government of the day had a long-term outlook and saw irrigation as the solution to continuous drought, and we got some really strong infrastructure in place."
While initially set up to support drought protection for sheep and beef farming, the network now also supports a thriving dairy sector.
Black sites the partial piping of the network as the company's biggest development to date, with a water storage facility the next significant project on the horizon.
"One of the core work streams next year is to hopefully acquire consent and work on a detailed design.
"Part of that is talking to our shareholders and assessing how much value they place on additional storage.
"We want to future proof it, and at the same time, not build something that is beyond the requirements we can envisage."
Water quality remains both a challenge and a priority.
The company has focused on supporting farmers in irrigating efficiently and has 102 water monitoring sites across the basin.
The company has invested in wetland projects, and the four-year Amuri Basin Future Farming project, which includes the formation of 13 catchment groups, is geared toward improving water quality in the long term.
"We want to improve water quality and set generations up with an asset they can farm with.
"That might not be sheep and beef and cows like it is at the moment.
"This area might move into horticulture or some other area we don't know about, so we have to hold onto what we have got, so that's a possibility in the future."
Black said that the company faces the same challenges as farmers, with increased cost pressure, but the goal remains to keep water to charges to shareholders affordable.
"I feel like irrigation is so important in supporting our community, and it's being part of that that gets me up in the morning."
By Claire Inkson