Caring for our precious water
We care about water. That’s why we’re helping regenerate New Zealand's waterways.
This week (26-30 August) is World Water Week, an annual focal point for global water issues. It’s a time when thousands of decision-makers, scientists and experts from over 130 countries converge on Sweden to swap ideas and develop plans to preserve this precious natural resource.
A little closer to home, communities all over New Zealand are helping to restore waterways in their local areas. We want to do our bit too.
Our streams, lakes, wetlands and rivers have suffered over the last 150 years because of the effects of agriculture. Many of them aren’t in the condition we all want them to be. Note: put a sentence or so in here to stretch the header so the wave does not cut off. If the section above is longer then you can just remove this copy.
We acknowledge we’ve been part of the problem and want to help regenerate our water waterways for all New Zealanders to enjoy and return them to places where nature, birds and fish can thrive.
Dairy farmers have spent around $1 billion on on-farm initiatives to help restore our waterways. This includes upgrading effluent management systems, fencing streams and rivers, putting in bridges to keep stock out of waterways, and reducing run-off with riparian planting.
That’s a big investment and has helped us make some progress. But there’s more to be done, and it must be done fast, and together.
We’ve committed to building on this good work and making a meaningful difference. Here’s some of the things we’re doing across New Zealand to help our waterways.
- Making six commitments to improve New Zealand’s waterways.
- Working with regional councils to identify environmental limits for water and helping farmers to operate within them.
- Expanding our network of Sustainable Dairy Advisors to give every farm a tailored farm environment plan.
- Using advanced technology in our manufacturing sites to use less water.
- Working with communities and our partners to develop action plans for sustainable water catchments across New Zealand.
- Forming a 10-year Living Water partnership with the Department of Conservation to find game-changing and scalable solutions that will help farming and freshwater ecosystems to thrive side-by-side.
- Investing in science and innovation to find new ways for sustainable farming and healthy waterways.
- Holding ourselves accountable by reporting on our practices to the public
- Opening our gates to show New Zealanders what happens on our farms and at some of our manufacturing sites.
There isn’t a silver bullet or a quick fix to restore our waterways.
We know our efforts are only part of tackling the problem, and it may take longer than some of us would like, but we’re committed to playing our part to make things right, and are looking forward to working with others on the challenge.