I have often thought there are a multitude of synergies between our number one sport, and farming.

Anyone who knows me well will have heard the many and varied rugby analogies that have been trotted out over the years to help bring context to conversations about the benefit of catchment communities working together.

In a recent interview ABs coach Scott Robinson shared a vital skill that makes him a strong leader: "I'm a storyteller. It’s my greatest strength."

Razor expanded on this, talking about needing a story to explain ‘this is where we’re going’.

In a farming and catchment community context the value of team culture and storytelling is equally as powerful, and is proving to deliver game-winning outcomes across New Zealand in terms of improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity and supporting community wellbeing.

In the Foothills Catchment Group column published in April this year, John Totty summed this up by saying “the goal is to effect change on a larger scale than what any of us could do alone”.

Taking time to tell our story about what is happening inside farm gates, and at a catchment level, is allowing those who do not understand the complexities of farm systems to learn more about the journey of change that many landowners have been on for several years now.

Through this awesome opportunity provided to MCCC by Rural Guardian, for the past nine issues our catchment groups have been telling their stories about the history of their catchment, the challenges and opportunities being faced today, and the vision for the future through the multi-generational lens that is land and water stewardship.

For over 160 years Mid Canterbury has innovated and adapted to market requirements, irrigation management, mother nature, technology and science. Each new decade brought about a range of challenges which were tackled and overcome thanks to a can-do attitude, and strong community leadership.

The formation of Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective, and the coming together of nine catchment groups between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers is a modern-day testament to that strong leadership, which is still evident today.

In addition to significant stakeholder engagement and collaboration opportunities, we now have seven water monitoring programmes underway, several case studies, predator control and biodiversity enhancement projects, catchment actions plans being developed and rural wellbeing discussions happening in a safe, supported and respectful way.

On-farm risk assessment and mitigation management has been a significant focus recently as landowners continue to explore ways to reduce their environmental footprint.

MCCC is working alongside science providers such as Plant and Food Research and AgResearch to ensure practical solutions are identified and implemented.

Our ongoing focus will be to bring ideas, action and science together to improve our environmental footprint, support catchment groups initiatives and champion community wellbeing.

If you are keen to find out more, please phone 0276033457 or email me at [email protected].

By Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective (MCCC) coordinator Angela Cushnie