The Southland Regional Forum held their final workshop last week, during which they finalised their recommendations for ways to drastically improve freshwater in Southland.

The forum will deliver its recommendations in the form of a report to Environment Southland and the Te Ao Marama Inc. board in the next few weeks. 

That report will help with the development of the first plan change to the Southland Water and Land Plan, known as Plan Change Tuatahi. 

The Southland Regional Forum was formed in early 2019, and is a group of farmers, scientists, businesspeople, students, environmentalists, and mana whenua. 

Their work has included gathering information, hearing from experts, scientists, stakeholders and mana whenua, with the challenge of coming up with recommendations for how to improve Southland’s freshwater over the next 25 years.

The final workshop was hosted at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff.

Southland Regional Forum Chair Fiona Smith said it felt quite emotional to come back to the marae, where the first workshop was held in 2019. 

“We’re back at Te Rau Aroha Marae for our final get-together, which feels like we’ve come full circle after more than 20 workshops all around the region and online over the past three and a half years,” she said.

Smith says the group have all offered different perspectives, and came into the process with the best of intentions.  

“We are now sure that our recommendations will mean a significant step forward to bridging the massive gaps between current water issues and where we should be."

“We must be able to use our water to drink, swim in, fish and engage in mahinga kai, and for farming and other businesses.

“Forum members have been so generous with their time and professionalism in working together to reach agreement,” she says. 

Included as part of the last workshop was a half day with Environment Southland councillors and Te Ao Marama Inc board members discussing the forum’s work and recommendations.

“We’ve been through a really thorough, tough process and it’s fair to say that hard work will continue when we hand the report to Environment Southland and Te Ao Marama Inc.,” says Smith.

“It’s their role to lead the region into a better future with freshwater that will help our communities to thrive.”

“This will not be easy and we recognise there are many challenges for our communities. But as one forum member has said – ‘we can’t keep kicking the can down the road.’ If we want our children and grandchildren to have good water, now is the time.” 

The Southland Regional Forum say the big issues impacting freshwater and Te Mana o te Wai (the vital importance of the water) in Southland include: extensive loss of wetlands; the amount of sediment and nutrients in some rivers, lakes & estuaries; risks to human health (from recreation and drinking); issues with quantity of water in some areas affecting the health or hauora of the water; and the inability to use freshwater for mahinga kai purposes.