What started back in 2020 as a bold vision – to improve water quality, support biodiversity, and empower our community to lead change – has grown into something far bigger than we imagined. Together, we’ve built a thriving wetland, protected vulnerable native species, completed extensive fencing and sediment plans with farmers, mapped biodiversity hotspots, and hosted school field trips, volunteer days, workshops and community events.
The Thomsons Catchment Project was made possible by funding from the Ministry for the Environment, and with a total investment of $2.8 million, we’ve well and truly exceeded our original goals. But the true value of this project has come from what you can’t always quantify: relationships, local knowledge, and pride in a shared purpose.
The McLeods signing the QEII agreement with Dan Coup, the CEO of QEII NZ, in October 2024
Omakau School students have been incredible partners over the past three years, testing water quality, exploring stream health, and planting at the wetland
Catchment Celebration in April 2025
Orkney Wetland
We’re honoured to have been featured in the Catchment Group Showcase at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in April 2025. The awards, run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, champion sustainable farming and growing. Big thanks to the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust for shining a light on the power of collaboration. What a proud moment for everyone who’s been part of this journey!
On 9 June, we were delighted to welcome Nicole Cousins and the Fonterra Sustainability Team back to the Thomsons catchment. As our very first visitors back in September 2022, it was great to have them return and see how much has progressed over the past three years. Their tour included updates on the wetland restoration, fish barrier, perched culverts, as well as recent fencing and planting efforts. Thanks for visiting and for your continued interest in the project!
On Friday 23 May, a team led by Pete Ravenscroft from Otago Regional Council carried out a thorough trout removal operation in Thomsons Creek, between the fish barrier and the upstream reach at Mawhinney Road. He was joined by Daisy Sharp (DOC), Ciaran Campbell (ORC), and Brent Dungey (ORC consultant).
The results were encouraging: just 11 trout were found and no perch, while a significant number of galaxiids were observed. Great news for this dedicated refuge site. The low trout numbers and strong galaxiid presence show that efforts to protect this important native species are paying off.
A big thank you to the whole team for their continued commitment to restoring freshwater biodiversity in our catchment. You can read more about Thomsons Catchment project here.
Trapping and Bird Monitoring Update
The bird monitoring and trapping teams continue their dedicated work, helping protect native wildlife and support a thriving bird population at Orkney Wetland.
In late May, one of our fantastic volunteers, Raf Wyatt, attended a predator trapping workshop at Lowburn, funded by Wai Connection and hosted by Otago Catchment Community Inc (OCC). The session, led by Markus Hermanns from Southern Lakes Sanctuary, covered trapping techniques, target species, gear, data collection, and included hands-on practice using a DOC200 trap.
Raf came away with plenty of useful tips to share with the team, and also took home a DOC200 trap as a spot prize! Big thanks to OCC for putting on such a practical and engaging session.
If you’re interested in getting involved in trapping or bird monitoring, we’d love to hear from you. Text or call Kim on 027 288 8484 to join the team.
New Resources
We also have some new resources available to you on our website. All Thomsons factsheets are available to download here.
To stay in the loop with everything that’s been happening and what’s ahead, keep an eye on mcg.org.nz/thomsons-project or follow us on Facebook for frequent updates. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of this journey.
Click to read more about what's been happening for the Manuherekia Catchment Group and Waiora Manuherekia Project:
