Styx Living Laboratory Trust

17/06/2026

We are thrilled to share that the Styx Living Laboratory Trust has been recognised with the prestigious MPI Growing Native Forests Champions Award, winning the Community Catchment Group category!

Over the weekend, Hannah Whittal, Josh Overend and George Beattie travelled to Hamilton to accept the award at Field Days, a proud moment for the Trust and a wonderful acknowledgement of the incredible mahi our team does every day.

This award would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Styx staff and trustees, past and present. It is their collective effort, commitment, and passion over the years that has built the Trust into what it is today and this recognition belongs to every one of them.

16/06/2026

A massive thank you to all of our incredible volunteers!!!! Thank you to all of your incredible mahi over the years!!!!

15/06/2026

Congratulations to our fabulous volunterer Antony Shadbolt who won a well deserved award for all of his mahi to the Styx Living Laboratory Trust!

Thanks Ant!!! 🥳🙌🫶

11/06/2026

A great initiative by one of our sponsors Coca-Cola Europacific Partners! If you are at Field Days go check them out!

A hands-on trial at Mystery Creek is giving Kiwis a glimpse into a new way to recycle.

09/06/2026

🥳 Celebrating being a Christchurch Airport community fund grant winner!

💧The funding will be used to upgrading essential water quality monitoring equipment.

👩‍🔬We run a monthly Water Quality Monitoring Program which has been going for over 20 years. We conduct high quality citizen science that we use to understand the water quality in the awa, how it is changing, and if we need to take any actions to improve it. This equipment will help the community understand their awa and what they can do to protect it.

09/06/2026

For the first time in the Trust's history we are finally able to measure potentially problematic faecal micro-organism levels in the Pūharakekenui River.

Our Water Quality Monitoring volunteers now measure micro-organism levels in about 10 sites throughout the river once a month. The development of simple, easy to use petri gels now means we can collect water samples for micro-organism, grow micro-organism colonies overnight and have data within 24hrs!

The standard faecal bacteria cultured is Escherichia coli (E. coli) which is found in humans, other mammals, and birds. E. coli appears as a small blue colony often with a gas bubble on our gel plates. It is used internationally as an indicator of other dangerous faecal micro-organism e.g. Gardia.

The first five months of 2026 show that E. coli counts can be high in several tributaries of our river and exceed National bottom line values in the NZ National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) 2020.

09/06/2026

🌱 This planting season, our Styx Field Team and volunteers have been hard at work planting, preparing, and restoring native forest habitat across the catchment. Every seedling in the ground brings us one step closer to a healthier, more resilient future for the Styx and the ecosystems that depend on it.

🥳 This event also marks a very special milestone: the conclusion of Project Kōtare, our MFE Jobs for Nature project that began five years ago. What started as a vision to restore native habitat along the Styx is now coming full circle. This is our final push, and we want to celebrate it with the community.

Come join us and help plant the last trees of this involved with this project.

🌳 Public Planting Day - Brooklands Red Zone

In partnership with Christchurch City Council

📅 Saturday 27 June

🕙 10:00am - 2:00pm

📍 908 Lower Styx Road, Brooklands - parking on site

What to expect on the day:

Plant native trees and spread mulch alongside our team - no experience needed, we'll show you everything

Be part of reaching 36,000 native trees planted this season in Brooklands

Light catering and refreshments provided

A fun, welcoming day out for individuals, families, and groups

🌟 What to bring:

Closed-toe shoes (required)

Warm clothes and a jacket

Gloves or a spade if you have them - we'll have plenty of extras on the day

🔗 Register here: https://www.thestyx.org.nz/events

It would be great to have you there.

Partially funded by Pub Charity Limited

05/06/2026

Want to make a real difference to your community? Volunteer with us or donate!

We have lots of volunteer opportunities available depending on your interests and capacity. Check our website for more information https://www.thestyx.org.nz/volunteer

We will channel your generosity directly into the soil, water, people, and wildlife of the Pūharakekenui catchment, securing a thriving, resilient ecosystem for generations to come.
Visit our website to donate now https://www.thestyx.org.nz/become-a-sponsor