Report: TR 2009/17

Author: Ruth Hungerford, Momentum Research & Evaluation

Abstract

 In 2006, Waikato Regional Council identified that agricultural practices were contributing to rising nutrient levels within the region’s waterways, and particularly within the Waikato hydro lakes. In response, they launched a three year intensive policy implementation pilot process, the integrated catchment management (ICM) pilot project, within two of the region’s sub-catchments.

The objective of the ICM pilot project was to investigate the potential effectiveness of ICM approaches in achieving sustainable improvements in water quality.

The two catchments, Little Waipa and the Waipapa were chosen because they were of a manageable size, were representative of land use within the Waikato region, had a large agricultural component, had a trend of increasing nutrient leaching (and this was able to be monitored), had a mix of relationships with Waikato Regional Council, and did not have significant geothermal issues .

In order to monitor the pilot and determine its effectiveness, the project team developed an evaluation plan with seven key areas to measure. Procedures to collect and collate data relevant to the success areas were incorporated into the project. These included staff collecting and reporting on some information and an independent evaluator collecting and reporting on some information.

The independent evaluation was introduced early in the project and regularly fed back into the project as it progressed.  Independent evaluation activities included interviews with participating and non-participating farmers, interviews with industry representatives, analyses of spreadsheet data and facilitated meetings with ICM staff.

Evaluation of the integrated catchment management pilot project - final report June 2009 [PDF, 494 KB]