TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2025
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NOVEMBER 27, 2025
More help for river care
This file photo shows Bexie Towle with children during a planting programme a year into the Taiea to Taiao project
By Roy Pilott
Waipā based restoration projects have been granted the two highest single awards in the latest Waikato River Authority funding round. New Zealand Landcare Trust gets $1.17 million for its work on Taiea to Taiao – the Mangapiko ecological corridor between Maungatautari and Pirongia maunga. And Pūniu River Care’s Te Manawanui o Waipā – 2025 work was given just under $992,000 from the $57 million pool. Waikato River Authority co-chair and former Waipā-King Country constituent regional councillor Stu Kneebone said there had been 43 applications in the latest funding round asking for a total of $12 million from the authority for projects with a total value of $22 million.
The Waikato River Authority has allocated $86.3 million to 522 projects supporting the restoration and protection of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers and their catchments since 2012. For the corridor, the funds will go towards expanding proven work and partnerships. More than 325,000 trees have been planted and 1200 predator traps set since 2021. The project also involves fencing, habitat restoration and community engagement. The Mangapiko Stream winds its way from Maungatautari through Te Awamutu and on to Pirongia where it meets the Waipā River. Project coordinator Bexie Towle told The News the grant provided comfort in planning ahead for the next planting season. The initial funding for the project will expire next June – this latest grant provides certainty for the immediate future.
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Towle said the project was in its early days – “trees take a while to grow” – but the benefits of conservation work was already being seen as birds come out of the mountains. The Pūniu River work involves riparian restoration where landowners contribute towards costs. The 83km long Pūniu River flows from the Pureora Forest Park, passes by Kihikihi and Te Awamutu and four marae - Mangatoatoa, Rāwhitiroa, Aotearoa and Whakamārama into the Waipā river south of Pirongia. It is where the river flows through farmland that restoration work is being carried out to provide a corridor for native species. The trust website notes the river was once a rich source of freshwater kai and provided picnic and swimming spots – but is no longer classified as being of a swimmable
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standard. The tuna stocks have depleted in some areas, the banks of the rivers are eroding and over 10,000 tonnes of sediment discharges into the Waipā river from the Pūniu River every year. Of the latest grants, Kneebone said it was great to see the level of ongoing collaboration between landowners, iwi, and larger restoration groups to increase the impact of our funding across the catchment. Waikato River Authority co-chair Danny Loughlin said 40 per cent of project applications were submitted by iwi entities for the 2025 round, and there has been strong engagement with river iwi across most projects.” Nationally, the New Zealand Landcare Trust – based at Waikato University - reports it has planted almost 75000 native plants this year.
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