Te Awarua-o-Porirua Whaitua Committee Chair Appointed

Community conservationist and ecological engineer Stu Farrant has been elected to chair the recently formed Te Awarua-o-Porirua Whaitua Committee.

Stu Farrant is looking forward to working with the community to develop a set of rules around how we manage land and water in Te Awarua-o-Porirua catchment.

"The whaitua process is very ambitious but it's evident that the entire committee and project team are engaged and enthusiastic. I'm confident that with the calibre and commitment of the people involved, we can rise to this challenge and ensure that the community's voice is captured in the results," Stu Farrant says.

The committee meets every six weeks at various venues in the whaitua and Stu is hoping to see residents attending the meetings.

"We welcome people to the meetings. Right now the committee is in the information gathering stage where we are becoming familiar with the catchment and learning about the dynamics of water management and the issues in the area. At the meetings, subject matter experts explain the latest scientific, geographic and ecological information relevant to the area. It's a great way to learn about your environment. It's important to understand these features before we begin asking what we can do to protect and improve our area."

The next meeting will be on Monday 27 July, at Takapuwahia Marae in Porirua. The committee will learn more about the cultural use and history of Te Awarua-o-Porirua Whaitua. Further meeting details, including an agenda and any meeting papers, will be available on our website one week prior.

For more information visit our webpage.

ENDS

Te Awarua-o-Porirua Whaitua Committee: Sharli-Jo Solomon, Jennie Smeaton, Porirua City Councillor Bronwyn Kropp, Stu Farrant(Chair), Diane Strugnell, Richard Cook, Larissa Toelupe, Warrick Lyon, Dr John McKoy, John Gibbs. Regional Councillor Barbara Donaldson and Wellington City Councillor Malcolm Sparrow were not present for the photo.