One year ago, the Mackenzie Basin Catchment Collective was officially established. Born from conversations around kitchen tables, paddocks, and local events, the idea was simple: people who live and work in this landscape are the ones best placed to care for it.
The Mackenzie is a place of rare beauty and deep contrasts. It's also a place where land use, water quality, biodiversity, and climate are all tightly intertwined. What happens on one farm, in one stream, or along one fence line doesn’t stay there—it flows downstream, across boundaries, and into the wider system. That’s the essence of a catchment.
So we asked ourselves: what if we worked together—across farm gates and land types—to support a healthier future for the whole basin?
Why Catchment Management Matters Here
Our catchment is unique. It includes drylands, braided rivers, tussock country, wetlands, high country stations, and intensive farming blocks. It’s a mosaic of land uses, values, and knowledge systems—each contributing to the whole.
But with this complexity comes challenge. Erosion, weed and pest pressure, and nutrient loss don’t solve themselves. Neither do biodiversity decline or changing freshwater rules. Tackling these issues can be overwhelming for landowners to face alone.
That’s where catchment management comes in. It’s about understanding how the landscape functions as a whole and working collectively to make improvements—small and large—that add up over time.
Since forming, the Collective has:
Secured coordination funding through MPI, enabling us to bring people together and keep things moving.
Supported multiple local catchment groups to form or grow, helping them access resources, funding, and expert advice.
Hosted five community events across the basin—from pest control workshops to on-farm field days.
Launched the A2E Mackenzie Basin Water Quality Tool, giving landowners a practical starting point to assess and improve on-farm impacts.
Established ourselves as an incorporated society, giving us the structure needed to support long-term collaboration.
We’re proud of what’s been started—but we also know this is just the beginning.
What Drives Us
At its heart, this Collective isn’t just about regulations, reports, or even planting plans (though all those have their place). It’s about connection: to land, water, and each other.
We exist because local people want to be part of the solution. Because the Mackenzie isn’t just a place we farm—it’s a place we call home. And because the future of this basin belongs to all of us, whether we’re here for a season or for generations.
By working together across catchments, we can strengthen resilience, protect what matters, and leave something better behind.
Where We’re Going
Looking ahead, our focus is on deepening support for grassroots catchment groups, sharing good practice, and building stronger partnerships with iwi, councils, and other organisations. We want to see more data in the hands of landowners, more native plants in the ground, and more opportunities for the community to shape the direction of our land and water management.
If you’ve been wondering how to get involved, now’s the time. Whether you’re a landholder, local business, student, or just someone who loves this place—we’d love to connect.
One year down, and we’re just getting started.
— The Mackenzie Basin Catchment Collective
