Te Hoiere/Pelorus Catchment Restoration Project

Initiated in 2019, this multi-partner project seeks to revitalise Te Hoiere/Pelorus catchments from the mountains into the sea (ki uta ki tai) and to be a leading example of community-driven environmental restoration. Te Hoiere/Pelorus River is the largest river catchment which flows into the Marlborough Sounds, spanning 107,403 km2. The current environmental quality of Te Hoiere catchment is good but is deteriorating. Through partnerships, this Project aims to tackle issues before the state of the catchment is beyond repair.

Marlborough District Council is proud to partner in efforts to restore this significant area, alongside iwi, Government agencies, several organisations, and the community. Ngāti Kuia are celebrated and respected as Mana Whenua and kaitiaki of Te Hoiere, and likewise, Rangitāne o Wairau as Mana Whenua of the Kaituna sub-catchment. The catchment is one of 14 priority catchments in Department of Conservation's Ngā Awa River Restoration Programme and an exemplar catchment as part of Ministry for the Environment's At Risk Catchments Programme.

In 2022, the Te Hoiere Kaitiaki Charitable Trust was created to provide governance for the project and provide a vehicle for the community’s voice and future of restoration activities in the catchment.

Council is an active participant in the Trust and project, which is aligned with Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, a wider effort to promote collective action towards enhancing and protecting biodiversity in Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island.

Links

Explore the project’s Catchment Enhancement Plan

Learn more about Council’s role in Kotahitanga mō te Taiao

For more information visit the website for Te Hoiere Project