Over the past eight years, Tom and Anna Tennent have reshaped parts of their Ashley Clinton farm, planting around 20,000 native trees and plants and fencing 9 kilometres of waterways. What began as a single wetland project has evolved into a practical, long-term approach that strengthens both the farm and its surrounding environment. “We started out fencing and planting a wetland we created with some help from the Game Bird Habitat Trust,” says Tom. “It looked great, we could see the...

A wet Hawke’s Bay day didn’t dampen spirits at the recent Tukipo Tiki Tour in Ashley Clinton. If anything, it reinforced the resilience and commitment of a farming community that has spent the past five years working together to improve its catchment. The tour marked the nearing completion of the Tukipo Catchment Care Group’s (TCCG) freshwater project, with a total value of $5m, including $2.2m from the Ministry for the Environment Freshwater Improvement Fund, and the remaining $2.8 million...

In this issue, TLC Chair Richard Hilson explores the future of catchment group funding. You’ll also find updates on TLC’s new predator trap library and a major erosion project targeting high-risk sub-catchments. We also look at how a specific willow species is stabilising vulnerable riverbanks in the Upper Tukituki, share a riparian revival project underway in the Makāretu sub-catchment and profile new wetland projects in the Mangaonuku and Tukipo sub-catchments, among other updates.