NatureWatch NZ is running free weekend workshops to help your community group to understand how nature is changing in your restoration project or favourite wild area. These workshops provide a grounding in the basics of monitoring, followed by individual hands-on help establishing or refining a monitoring programme that meets your needs. Join us to learn [...]

The Press (Saturday May 23, 2015) spoke to departing Environment Canterbury Commissioner Donald Couch and heard about the new rules, set out in Variation 1 of the Land and Water Regional Plan, which will influence farming practices over decades to come. You can read the article here.

Variation 1 to the Land and Water Regional Plan - the rules which will apply in the Selwyn-Waihora Zone - has been notified. A panel of independent commissioners heard submissions and made recommendations to Environment Canterbury. The new rules were approved by the ECan Commissioners on April 23. You can find out about the process [...]

We have some funding available to support drain related projects on farms If you have identified areas of drainage management that could be improved, such as fencing and riparian planting, but you’re not sure of the best way to proceed, we may be able to help. Waihora Ellesmere Trust has some funding to provide technical [...]

Showcasing successful native restoration on working lands. You are invited to visit some successful restoration projects and hear from the landowners. Please RSVP by Tuesday 14th April, to assist with catering, to Te Ara Kakariki. There is more information, including maps of meeting places, here. Hamish Rennie, WET Trustee, will be speaking briefly about our [...]

The results of this year's wetland bird count at Te Waihora is now up on our website.  Read about the event here.

World Wetlands Day is coming up on 2 February and marks the adoption of the International Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The theme for World Wetlands Day 2015 is “Wetlands for our future; Te tirohanga a mua mo nga maria”. Although not formally a Ramsar site,Te Waihora [...]

Read about projects underway at the lake in a recent NIWA update. NIWA scientists are working with Ngai Tahu, ECan and others on several projects designed to improve our understanding of the lake and find ways to improve the health and biodiversity.

The date has been set for the 2015 wetland bird survey of Te Waihora/lake Ellesmere.  It will be held on Saturday February 21st, 2015. We're now collecting the names of those interested in helping out and there will be more information to follow nearer the time. Volunteers should be reasonably fit and committed! Some experience [...]