The Whitcombe Landcare group was established in 1992 by landowners on the south side of the Rakaia from Cleardale at the foot of Mt Hutt, to Lake Heron station in the headwaters.

We are the newest group to join the Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective (MCCC).

The Whitcombe Landcare group collectively has over 65 kilometers of river frontage to the Rakaia River and vastly varied land types from irrigated farmland to extensive high country native ecosystems that we are very proud of.

We have 11 active members with significant multi-generational ownership and stewardship and a great working relationship with our neighbours, the Department of Conservation.

Achievements of the catchment group over the years have included establishing long-term vegetation monitoring sites on each property, extensive weed surveys that enabled successful funding applications to control weeds such as cotoneaster, elderberry, and sycamore.  

A significant number of waterways have been fenced off in the catchment with the help of Fish & Game and ECAN.  

A project to control Wilding Pines in 2006 was successful to eliminate a significant portion of wildings in the catchment to the point now where we are almost free of wildings.

Recently group members have volunteered 80-man hours of their time to control wildings on conservation land to remove an estimated 2,500 wildings.

The group is also using the MCCC water testing capability to better understand the water quality within the catchment.

The number of visitors into the catchment and its surrounding conservation land has risen significantly over the years, partly due to the establishment of the Te Araroa trail but also more hunters and recreators are enjoying the opportunities in the area.  

The Landcare group wants to ensure that visitors are aware of their impact while enjoying our pristine natural environment.

For example, making sure that the growing number of four-wheel drive vehicles driving in the riverbed are not impacting the rare native birds that nest there.

The Landcare group is currently refreshing its vision and strategy to ensure that all projects we undertake deliver on our aims to enhance the natural environment of the Upper Rakaia catchment in a societal, environmental, and economically sustainable way.

Becoming weed and pest free are priorities for the group, but we are also thinking beyond this to understand what success would look like in 50 years’ time for the catchment.

The group is excited to grow our knowledge of the catchment to enhance our stewardship of the land.

We aim to keep improving our practices so our part of New Zealand’s treasured environment will benefit.

For more information, please contact catchment group facilitator Megan Fitzgerald, 027 262 1602 or email [email protected]

by Paul Ensor, – Chairperson of the Whitcombe Landcare Group.