Catchment Emergency Preparedness
Clare Hadley attended the Catchment Emergency Preparedness workshop, hosted by NZ Landcare Trust and supported by MPI’s OnFarm Support team. She has a farm emergency plan template available for anyone who would like to work on their own plan.
If there are small groups that would like to work through a plan together, give her a shout.
Four small things you can do today:
make sure your RAPID numbers are clearly visible
Identify the GPS coordinates for all buildings on your property and write them in a clearly visible place on each building and record them somewhere everyone knows
Check you’ve got enough water stored – one quick tip is to fill used, clean containers (eg the large yoghurt pots) with water and put them in your freezer. If you need the space in your freezer later – no big deal – and in the meantime, a great way to make your freezer more energy efficient!
Getting the right connections in place to be able to connect generators to dairy sheds, woolsheds, and other home or farm infrastructure when the power goes out.
Membership Levy
At the 2025 Annual General Meeting, we agreed there would be no second round of invoicing for levies if it wasn’t required. Due to delays with the Land and Water Plan, our expenses have been less than budgeted for this financial year so no second levy will be sought. Thank you to everyone for paying your invoices promptly.
Ministry for Primary Industries Funding Update
We all know times are tough and the Government’s budget will be tight. It’s pleasing then to know the Government recognises the value of farmer-led catchment groups and there will be some additional funding to support ongoing coordination support to ensure the momentum of groups like MCG continue.
MCG will be seeking funding from the $13M available to catchment groups across the country to contribute to our work.
Fuel Storage Tips
With the sudden surge in oil prices, here’s some tips on keeping your farm fuel storage safe, courtesy of FMG Insurance:
Install security lighting that lights up fuel tanks and fuelling areas.
Keep an inventory of fuel consumption so any thefts can be identified quickly.
Install fuel tank locking devices on all petrol and diesel tanks on your property.
Update from Manuherikia River Ltd
A message from Jeff Grant, Chair of Manuherikia River Ltd:
Following the announcement earlier this year that we have been successful recipients in receiving a $2m loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, we’ve been busy looking for a Project Manager to support us in this work.
We’re excited to share you can now follow us. You can find our website fallsdam.co.nz or follow us on Facebook here. We’ll soon start sending quarterly newsletters so make sure to subscribe on our website to get important updates from us directly on the future of Falls Dam.
