Rod PhilipChair
About us
What began in 2019 as a small group of farmers focused on improving winter grazing practices and water quality in the region has now grown into a catchment-wide network spanning Waihemo Shag River, Stony Creek, Te Hakapupu Pleasant River, Waipaku Post Office Creek and Waikouaiti River.
With a dedicated coordinator since 2022, we are making excellent progress on our goals of working together with our community on practical projects that improve water quality, restore biodiversity, and support sustainable land use across East Otago.
Our work includes projects focused on farm planning and best practices, biodiversity enhancement, water quality, pest management, fish passage improvements, community planting days, and species recovery initiatives such as the Upper Shag tributaries trout removal project, which has contributed to a significant increase in the rare Taieri Flathead Galaxias population.
Funders and supporters
Current funders
Otago Catchment Community
East Otago Catchment Group is a proud member of the Otago Catchment Community. We value the support, collaboration and shared knowledge the network provides, and thank the Otago Catchment Community for their ongoing support of our work.
Oceana Gold
Oceana Gold supports our activities by backing grassroots environmental restoration, educational initiatives, and biodiversity projects.
A big thank you to our funders for supporting coordinator time, training opportunities, catchment group operations, and community projects such as the ongoing Anderson’s Lagoon planting initiative. This long-term, community-led restoration project is helping improve water quality, reduce erosion, and enhance native biodiversity across the area.
Project supporters
The East Otago Catchment Group works alongside a range of organisations, funders, and community partners who help support projects across the catchment. Their contributions support practical environmental action, monitoring, restoration, education, and farmer-led initiatives throughout the region.
Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki
Project Partner
Dunedin City Council
Biodiversity Fund
Waipaku Hawksbury Bush Water Reserve planting
ORC Eco Fund
Supported by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) ECO Fund, the East Otago Catchment Group's Upper Shag Trout Removal Project works to protect the rare, threatened Taieri flathead galaxiid (a native non-migratory freshwater fish) by eliminating invasive trout from local waterways.
Waitaki District Council
Waitaki District Council has provided support for coordinator time. Further funding for planting in 2026 is currently under consideration.
MPI
The East Otago ‘Farming with Confidence’ programme is a farmer-led initiative run by the East Otago Catchment Group and backed by MPI's Integrated Farm Planning fund. It guides local landowners through creating robust Integrated Farm Plans (IFP) to stay ahead of regulations and earn FAP+ accreditation.
Participatory Science Fund and Otago Enviroschools
Providing support for the Waipaku Post Office Creek catchment water quality monitoring project, with students from Waikouaiti School regularly measuring water temperature and clarity, and undertaking eDNA sampling and bird counts.
This website was developed with funding from the Otago Catchment Community and the East Otago Catchment Group's Balance Farm Environment Awards prize. We gratefully acknowledge their support.
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