Waikato Regional Council
Waikato Regional Council (WRC) is a local government body. The Waikato region covers 25,000km2 – from the Bombay Hills in the north to Mt Ruapehu in the south, and from Mokau on the west coast to the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast. It also includes 10,000 km2 of coastal marine area. The region is home to about half a million people.
WRC environmental monitoring scientists
WRC environmental monitoring scientists Alicia Catlin and Aroha Salu head down to a stream to carry out water quality tests.
Responsibilities
WRC is one of 11 regional councils throughout New Zealand. A regional council is responsible for:
managing the effects of activities on freshwater and coastal water resources, land and air
managing rivers, mitigating soil erosion and flood control
developing regional policy statements and issuing consents
regional land transport planning
emergency management and civil defence preparation
harbour navigation and safety and marine pollution.
Waikato’s significant natural features
The Waikato region has several important natural features including the country’s longest river – the Waikato River – and its largest lake – Lake Taupō. The region also has New Zealand’s most important geothermal systems and internationally significant wetlands.
The Waikato region has some of the country’s most productive soils. The northern area is primarily used for vegetable production, with dairy farms occupying a large portion of the region. There are also more than 300,000 ha of plantation forests.
Nature of science
The Waikato Regional Council Science and Strategy directorate gathers, analyses, interprets and translates information on Waikato’s natural resources, community and economy in to achieve positive regional outcomes. The provision of science-based evidence is required for WRC to ensure quality environmental management.
Science teams at WRC
Waikato Regional Council has a strong focus on the environment. It has three directorates that oversee environmental management.
The Integrated Catchment Management directorate is responsible for land management, biosecurity and biodiversity, river and flood management and natural hazard management. The land management component aims to reduce the environmental footprint associated with agriculture.
The Resource Use directorate manages consent and compliance responsibilities. The team makes decisions on resource consent applications associated with water allocation, land development and more.
The Science and Strategy directorate gathers and interprets information on the region’s natural resources, communities and the economy. The science teams are responsible for monitoring, reporting and communicating environmental information.
Role of a catchment officer
Regional councils employ science teams to work in a variety of environmental positions. Alice Trevelyan tells us about her job as a catchment management officer.
Question for discussion:
Alice requires science knowledge in her role as a catchment officer. What other skills do you think she needs to do her job effectively?
Environmental education
Environmental education is a key activity for WRC. The council provides information and outreach services for farmers, growers, businesses and industries. It works with landcare and coastcare groups, iwi and other community groups to take action on local environmental issues.
WRC actively supports schools with environmental education. It has developed classroom resources such as Rivers and Us, Streamsense and Coasts and Us. The council co-ordinates the Enviroschools programme – an initiative in which early childhood centres and schools commit to long-term sustainability practices. It provides staff and funding to assist with special projects.
Benefits of environmental education
Educators and students who have used the Rivers and Us programme discuss the value of the resources and the benefits that come from learning in an outdoors environment.
Question for discussion:
What do you think Sam means when she says that streams and trees could be good or bad?
Useful links
Find out about the work of the Waikato Regional Council in their website.
Check out the WRC environmental education page for resources.
Visit the Enviroschools Waikato region page.
Acknowledgement
This article has been developed in partnership with the Waikato Regional Council as part of the Rivers and Us resource.
Waikato Regional Council
Waikato Regional Council is a local government body. They work with communities, iwi and industry to sustainably manage natural resources, enabling a strong economy and a high quality of life for all. Their activities help look after the region's water, soil, air, geothermal areas and coasts.
