What are landcare groups?
Landcare groups are partnerships where local people work together to take action on local environmental issues. People find that being part of a landcare group helps them to get support from a range of organisations and sponsors. It also helps with motivation, as a group effort has a much greater impact than working alone and it is more fun.
Common issues addressed by landcare groups include water quality, soil erosion, pest management and biodiversity.
Waikato Regional Council can help groups with facilitation, technical advice and information, and can also provide financial assistance.We have large amounts of natural resources in the Waikato region, and although rural and land-based businesses need to be profitable, it is also important they are sustainable.
Landcare groups provide a structure for communities to take control of environmental issues themselves, allowing them to find solutions and take action. They carry out a range of projects including:
- stream fencing and planting
- plant propagation
- water quality monitoring
- bush protection
- pest management
- walkway construction
- biodiversity
Landcare groups in the Waikato region
Names of landcare groups in the region are detailed below. The map shows where groups are located in the region. You can click on the map to see a larger version.
| Group name | Group number |
|---|---|
| Friends of Barret Bush | 1 |
| Friends of Lake Hakanoa Walkway Group | 2 |
| Friends of Waikawau | 3 |
| Friends of Waimana Bay | 4 |
| Habitat Tuateawa | 5 |
| Hamilton Fish & Game Club | 6 |
| Hikuai/Wharekawa Community Possum Control Group | 7 |
| Kaituna Lake Care Group | 8 |
| Kakepuku Care Group | 9 |
| Kirikiri Catchment Care group | 10 |
| Lake Cameron Care Group | 11 |
| Lake Kainui Management Committee (Kainui Lake Care Group) | 12 |
| Lake Taharoa Trust | 13 |
| Lake Waikare Care Group | 14 |
| Little Waipa Streamcare Group | 15 |
| Lower Mangapiko Streamcare | 16 |
| Mahakirau Forest Estate Group | 17 |
| Mangahia Lake Care Group | 18 |
| Mangawara Landcare Group | 19 |
| Moehau Environment Group | 20 |
| Morrinsville Landcare Group | 21 |
| Ngaroto Lake Care Group | 22 |
| Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society Inc | 23 |
| Pokaiwhenua Streamcare Group | 24 |
| Project Kiwi (Kuaotunu) | 25 |
| Rivercare Trust | 26 |
| Serpentine Lake Care Group | 27 |
| Te Pahu Landcare Group | 28 |
| Te Waihou Landcare Group | 29 |
| Te Whakaoranga o Karioi Incorporated Society | 30 |
| Thames Coast Kiwi care | 31 |
| Torepatutahi Landcare | 32 |
| Upper Waihou Streamcare Group | 33 |
| Waihi District Walkways | 34 |
| Waiotahi Valley Trust | 35 |
| WET Landcare Group | 36 |
| Whaingaroa Harbour Care | 37 |
| Whakaupoko West Franklin Landcare Group | 38 |
| Whangamata Harbourcare Inc | 39 |
| Whangapoua Harbour Care Catchment | 40 |
| Wharekawa Catchment Care Group | 41 |
| Whenuakite Kiwi Care Group | 42 |
What is the Landcare Trust?
The New Zealand Landcare Trust supports sustainable land management initiatives through community involvement. The trust is governed by representatives from the agricultural sector as well as outdoor recreation and environmental interest groups.
Find out more about the New Zealand Landcare Trust.
How you can get involved
Think about starting your own group if there aren't any landcare groups in your area already. Are there any environmental issues in your area that need addressing? Do local streams need to be protected from stock? Are waterways degrading in quality? Is the local bush in your area slowly dying from from introduced browsing pests?
Find out if anyone else in your area feels the same way. Start talking to neighbours, friends and family. What would they like to see done to help the local environment? What do they think could be improved?
Think about who else needs to be involved in a local landcare group. Contact groups such as hunters, fishermen, horse riding groups, farmers and your local marae.
How much support have you got out there? By gauging the level of interest you can determine whether it is worthwhile calling everyone together for a meeting.
If you decide it is worthwhile, get in touch with our Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator. We can help you to arrange and run a facilitation session with interested people to discuss landcare ideas.
Landcare links
Below are links to sites of interest to farmers and members of landcare groups.
New Zealand sites
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
Scion (research, science and technology development for the forestry sector)
National Institute of Water and Atmosphere
New Zealand Ministry for the Environment
Funding Information Service Inc.
A funding ‘not for profit’ organisation that collects and distributes information about funding for community groups, awards, and scholarships within New Zealand.
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