Catchment Leaders Forum a Success

The first Catchment Leaders forum was held by OCC with NZ Landcare Trust at Invermay, on Tuesday 13 July.

45 industry people and catchment leaders came together from across the region in the first of these forums since OCC was officially formed in November last year.

The first part of the day was spent with general introductions – from industry people, who they represented and what their industry body was currently doing in the catchment sapce. This was followed by the Catchement Groups themselves who gave a summary of what their group is currently doing. 

There were some familiar faces in the crowd – Catchment Groups which have been active for a few years – NOSLaM and Pomahaka as examples. It was encouraging to see the newer groups, some who are in the very beginning phases of establishing their groups, come together amongst the established groups and hearing from, learning and chatting with one another.

 The feedback received from all groups – new and established, was how valuable this kind of forum is to enable one another to hear first-hand, the stories and the actions taken, including challenges and issues which groups encounter and overcome, within their particular focuses and projects. 

Follow Up

OCC plans to continue to hold an Otago wide forum for leaders and industry once each year and alternate this with a 6 monthly forum in each FMU (Fresh Water Management Unit) to keep the connections strong across the groups, with these FMU forums offering a more localised focus at the 6 month point.

We want your feedback!

We are seeking feedback on the above – ideas of how to make these forums more effective for Catchment Groups, as well as ideas for practical or theory based learning that would be of particular interest.

Catchment Leaders Forum