Thriving Southland

04/06/2026

Last week the Upper Aparima Catchment Group kicked off a project to better understand the impact of pest animals on their patch of paradise.
Contractor Andy and his faithful mate Tāne have been out in the field undertaking possum monitoring, helping build a clearer picture of what is happening across the catchment. While out on the hills they captured some stunning shots of the catchment.
This work is a great step toward informed, community led action to support long term farm and environmental outcomes.

📸Andy Kinley

04/06/2026

🎧 Catchment Convos Ep 19 is live!
Wetlands working on Farm

In this episode, we chat with Justin Kitto, DairyNZ Environment Manager, about the practical benefits of wetlands and simple steps to get started on your farm. Packed with practical advice and real Southland examples, press play now and learn how wetlands can work on-farm.

👉 Listen now!
www.thrivingsouthland.co.nz/catchment-convos-podcast/

03/06/2026

Environment Southland are holding a Wintering Field Day in the Waiau on the 11th June. As well as hearing an update on the Waiau Catchment Groups Soil Mapping Project, the field day will include a practical winter grazing planning workshop, a farm tour of Jericho Station and presentations from Resolution and FarmIQ.

👉 RSVP for catering purposes to [email protected] or phone 021 366 459.

02/06/2026

Fantastic evening at the Mid Oreti Catchment Group monthly nursery session. The team potted up over 500 marble leafs carefully dug up from the paths in the AB Lime bush block as a bit of a trial 🌱

Lovely having the Bruces and Nikki from the Winton Golf Club, and the CSC student volunteers. Christina’s coffees and hot chocolates went down a treat and the toffee pops were lovely too!

01/06/2026

What makes catchment groups so effective? In the latest episode of RaboTalk's new Catchment Catch-Ups series, our project lead Richard Kyte joins host Blake Holgate to discuss the power of farmer-led solutions and the role catchment groups play in tackling challenges facing New Zealand agriculture.
Have a listen here: www.rabobank.co.nz/agribusiness/sustainable-farming/growing-our-future-podcast 👈

01/06/2026

Join us in Otautau tomorrow for a practical session to get your farm plan sorted and working for you.

29/05/2026

📣What a month! Check out the all the action from ‘Everything to Gain’ and lots of other Catchment Group goodness! 📊 🌱 🌎

One of the big highlights in May – actually, for the whole year, was the Everything To Gain – Paddocks to Market event held at Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill.Trade relationships, the need for a bit

27/05/2026

Mid Oreti Catchment Group's monthly nursery drop in session is NEXT Tuesday!

The plan is to pot up some pittos and give the plants a good weeding. Perfect time to have a chat and get your questions answered on growing native plants or setting up your own home nursery 🙂

⏰Tuesday 2nd June, 4-6 pm - it will be great fun!
🌱AB Lime Nursery, 10 Bend Road, Winton (follow the signs to the AB Lime nursery once on site)

All ages welcome - Stay for as little or as long as you like ❤️

All plants go to our Mid Oreti Mini Forest Movement Project- providing native plants to local community groups and landowners 🌳

26/05/2026

Out and about with the Awarua Catchment Group exploring a few potential water quality monitoring sites.
Coordinator Stacey has been testing conductivity along the streams to get a better picture of how far the tidal influence reaches inland. Understanding this is a key piece of the puzzle as we look to build a project that helps the group get clearer insight into the challenges currently facing the catchment.
It’s early days, but getting boots on the ground and narrowing down these sites is an important step towards smarter monitoring and better-informed decisions for the future.
Looking forward to working alongside the community as this develops 💧

26/05/2026

We’re looking for two driven team players to join the Thriving Southland catchment coordination team, with one role focused on Eastern Southland and the other on Western Southland. The successful candidates will work directly with local Catchment Groups to plan, deliver, and support practical solutions for the future of Southland’s agriculture and environment.
Email [email protected] for the full job description and application details. Or visit www.thrivingsouthland.co.nz/current-vacancies to find out more.

Current Vacancies