Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

On 7 March, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the University of Waikato and Priority One are hosting a one day public symposium to share information on the latest research on Tauranga Harbour and the range of work underway by various agencies and community groups to improve the harbour and its catchment.

There is a lot happening in this space and much of it is happening under the radar.

As part of a work programme to address sedimentation of Tauranga Harbour, regional council staff have completed catchment action plans for all of the sub-catchments which flow into Tauranga Harbour. This process identified that many landowners lacked understanding and information about land management issues and how they can impact on the harbour. As a result, the regional council has launched the Futureproof Your Land campaign, targeting rural landowners in Tauranga Harbour catchments. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the need for landowners to sustainably manage their land and their responsibility to protect the waterways that flow through their properties.

About 700 informative packs are being sent to high priority properties identified in the catchment action plans. These packs give information on a range of Future Proof toolkits available to help landowners address erosion, weather impacts, pollution proofing, soil health, pest management and protection of our natural habitat.

If you are interested in receiving these information packs, phone 0800 884 880. They are chock full of very helpful information.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please email me neesj@xtra.co.nz or phone 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website: www.janenees.co.nz