Practical support for water-care

Catchment Care is a three year initiative that gives keen volunteers the chance to work alongside local communities on water care projects across the country. And it's a real team effort. Together, Fonterra and partner, Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, are working with local councils, community groups and environmental agencies to give hands-on support where it's needed; from tree-planting along waterlines to prevent erosion (known as riparian planting); and weeding and mulching to support growth, to rubbish collection.

Fonterra and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand

At Fonterra, we've set our sights firmly on protecting and enhancing our country's natural resources while continuing to provide New Zealand families, and indeed the world, with the nutritional goodness of dairy. With this in mind we've partnered with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand to take the Catchment Care initiative into the communities where it's needed. When it comes to experience, Conservation Volunteers has been recruiting environmentally-minded volunteers across Australia since [the mid 80's], and more recently, in New Zealand.

Keeping an eye on the future

It's good to know that the benefits of Catchment Care extend far beyond water quality. In the local communities that we're working in, natural eco-systems are being re-established and with them, new habitats for
endangered species.

For Fonterra, Catchment Care is just one of several initiatives including the Clean Streams Accord, which underpins our mandate to ensure the natural resources we have today can be enjoyed by generations of
New Zealanders tomorrow.

Our targets

We've got big plans, here's a quick look at what we're aiming to achieve.

Enhance 2,000,000 square metres of waterways, catchment zones and wetlands by 31 July 2012.

From 1 August 2009 to 31 October 2011 we achieved 1,699,492 square metres of overall land improved.
This included:

• 4,962 metres of wetland and riparian (along riverbanks) areas fenced
• 137,152 stems in catchment zones planted 
• 279,712 square metres of exotic weed species removed from catchment zones
• 246,110 square metres of plants maintained/ released from weeds
• 21,806 metres of walking track built or maintained
• 3,865 plants propagated
• 5.5kgs seeds collected
• 38 sacks rubbished collected
• 3 surveys

 The barometers on the left hand side show how we are tracking against our targets for this financial year
(1 August 2011- 31 July 2012).