From Groups to Collectives
As Catchment Groups mature, their focus often shifts from on-the-ground action to long-term strategy, coordination, and collective impact. Lasting the Long Game supports these advanced groups and emerging collectives with resources, examples, and insights to help strengthen governance, coordination, and partnerships across Aotearoa.
This page brings together practical tools, lessons learned, and case studies that show how groups are moving beyond initial projects toward enduring, community-led catchment management.
The journey to advancing a catchment group begins with curiosity, collaboration, and good data. Successful groups are using science and innovation to understand their landscapes, measure change, and take practical action that benefits both the environment and the community. By sharing knowledge, testing ideas, and working together toward common goals, catchment groups can move from local action to catchment-wide impact — building resilience, trust, and long-term environmental gains.
resources
Catchment collectives - an essential guide
Collaboration for greater impact and streamlined resourcing
Catchment Emergency Management Plan
This document template allows you to retain information for use in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.
Designing Freshwater Monitoring Programmes to Detect Early Improvement
This short guidance document is to support the design of freshwater monitoring programmes to detect early improvement and is for regional councils, government, and multi-agency catchment groups.
Mai te rangi ki te whenua, Mai te whenua ki te rangi
Supporting engagement with tangata whenua
Lower Cost Native Restoration of Farmland: Tīmata Method Fact Sheet
This six-page fact sheet introduces the Tīmata Method, a practical and cost-effective approach developed for New Zealand landowners to support native forest regeneration. Rooted in the Māori concept of “tīmata” — to begin or commence — the method mimics natural succession processes, using hardy nursery species and efficient planting techniques to restore ngahere (native forest) over time. It offers a scalable, low-cost solution particularly suited to steep pastoral land, riparian areas, and wetland margins.
Aotearoa Catchment Extension – the Catchment Toolkit
The Catchment Toolkit aims to be the first port-of-call for catchment groups throughout Aotearoa. It is the home of the National Database of Catchment Management Resources.
WEBINARS
Webinar: NZ’s catchment and biodiversity groups: Goals, Activities, & Needs (Our land and water)
In this webinar, Jim Sinner and Marc Tadaki of Cawthron present the findings of a survey of catchment and biodiversity groups. The survey was conducted for the Ministry for the Environment to help understand the nature of local groups, what they are doing and what kinds of support they need.
Webinar: Where to next for catchment Groups? (Our land and Water)
In this webinar, Jim Sinner, manager of social science at Cawthron Institute, presents findings from research on how catchment groups can be supported and encouraged to protect and enhance local waterways.
Reports
Tools for your Catchment Group Toolkit – (Our Land and Water)
Build your Catchment Group Toolkit with resources from Our Land and Water and NZ Landcare Trust. Here you will find links to practical tools and resources to support your catchment group journey.
Where to next for Catchment Groups? (Our Land and Water)
This report is aimed at individuals or groups seeking to establish, work with or fund catchment groups, or those developing related policy.
Supporting catchment mitigation processes
Thriving Southland has produced the Catchment Mitigation Processes Final Report, sharing insights, successes, and lessons from local catchment projects working to enhance land and water health.
Going with the grain: Changing land uses to fit a changing landscape
A government resource that discusses how we respond to the environmental challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and water quality while looking after the economic, social and cultural life of our regions.
Examples
Edendale Aquifer Group
The Edendale Aquifer Group is taking a proactive approach to understanding local water quality challenges through its Understanding Nitrogen Project, which focuses on how nutrients move through the landscape and affect the wider catchment. Read about Thriving Southland’s Edendale Aquifer Group and their efforts to map nutrient flows from the aquifer into the Mataura River and explore what actions are possible.
Carbon Neutral Dipton (Greater Dipton Catchment, Southland)
The Greater Dipton Catchment Group is exploring how collective action can reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration through the Carbon Neutral Dipton project. Five pilot farms, supported by “buddy” groups, are testing and modelling practical ways to lower greenhouse gases while maintaining farm productivity. This community-driven approach showcases how shared learning can lead to measurable climate and economic benefits.
Learn more about Carbon Neutral Dipton.