MAKARA CATCHMENT

Primary township Elsthorpe

Area 12,465 hectares

Number of farms greater than 20ha = 45

CATCHMENT

GROUP

Committee members Andrew Thomas, Kate Laugesen, Tim Forde, Ray Munn, Richard Scott

Co-Chairs Andrew Thomas and Kate Laugesen

Catchment Co-ordinator Pixie Seligman

Email tukicoordinator@gmail.com

Phone 0277212423

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ABOUT OUR CATCHMENT

The Makara Stream flows in a westerly direction from the hills that surround Elsthorpe to the Tukituki River.

Draining a catchment of 12,465 hectares, the Makara and its tributaries flow though two forestry operations in the upper reaches of the catchment, pastoral land and some cropping on the lower flats.

Erosion, sediment and phosphorus due to the soil type and slope are key issues for the Makara catchment and amongst other activities water testing is being undertaken to identify priority areas for further action.

TLC DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

Project Summary

In September 2023, TLC awarded a $10,000 Demonstration Grant to the Makara Catchment Group to carry out a whole catchment assessment to celebrate successes and give direction for future actions.

Twenty-five landowners from the Makara sub-catchment participated in the study, representing a land area of 14,806 hectares.

Outcomes

1. State of the Nation Report

A final report produced by agricultural consultants KS Agri offers valuable insights into environmental challenges and opportunities in this sub-catchment, gleaned from farmer interviews, analysis of Farm Environmental Management Plans, and mapping.

The report not only explores key indicators such as DIN, phosphorus, and turbidity but also provides insights into a wide range of data, including erosion pole planting, wetland creation, and riparian fencing.

The report also offers actionable recommendations, including increasing the number of water testing sites and managing existing sediment traps and dams.

In addition to providing valuable and actionable data for the farmers in this catchment, the study also served as a unifying force, bringing together farmers in the area. At the conclusion of the project the farmers and their families gathered at the Elsthorpe Hall to share a beer and sausage sizzle and hear a presentation by KS Agri on the preliminary findings.

2. Water Testing Programme

In September 2024, TLC agreed to commence a 12 month water monitoring programme at four sites in the Makara sub-catchment as recommended in the KS Agri Report.

For more information, please get in touch with Pixie Seligman.

MAKARA STATE OF THE NATION - MARCH 2024

The full report on the Makara sub-catchment produced by KS Agri and funded by a TLC Demonstration Grant is now available to download.

The report includes a catchment overview, water quality data and soil types, the collective footprint as well as a recommendations by KS Agri.

Download Full Report

Farms that were part of the project ranged from 60ha to 3751ha. Most of the farms were dry stock operations with some cash cropping on the flats along with two forestry blocks.

The total cropped area of the catchment was 3% (434ha) and of that winter cropping accounted for 0.34% with only four farms choosing to put in winter crops. Only two farms had irrigation for a total of 87ha under gun irrigators.

61% of the farms had sediment dams on their property. The catchment has 12% of its land area under production forestry with around 30ha due to be harvested in the next 5 years.

25 Farms Involved

14,806 ha

Average Stocking

Rate 8.0 su/ha

N Loss

14.7 kgN/ha

P Loss

0.78kgP/ha