Catchment Care Wetland Development Fund
Supporting practical, community-led environmental action across Southland
The Catchment Care Wetland Development Fund attracted strong interest from Southland Catchment Groups and communities, with 13 successful applicants awarded a share of $200,000 in funding to deliver projects supporting wetland development and targeted landscape and farm system mitigations.
Funded through a grant from Environment Southland to Thriving Southland, the initiative supported practical, community-led projects that improve environmental outcomes at both property and catchment scale. Funded projects included constructed wetlands, riparian planting, sediment traps and other practical mitigations that reflected the principle of "the right mitigation in the right place", while helping to build community engagement and environmental stewardship throughout Southland.
Projects in action
Here's a look at some of the work being delivered on the ground.
Weeowna Farms: wetland planting
At Weeowna Farms, funding supported wetland planting and sediment traps, helping to establish and restore wetland habitat on the property.
Sediment trap prior to plantings
Sediment trap after plantings (December 2025)
Sim Restoration Works: restoring a tributary near Garston
This project is focused on fencing and restoring an area on a tributary of the Mataura River near Garston. The work includes around 500 native plantings and aims to reduce the movement of eroded sediment and associated contaminants from the surrounding steep hill country.
Fencing the site will exclude stock and help protect the restored area, while work to reduce aquatic weeds and sediment build-up will support aquatic habitat. The tributary already provides habitat for high-value galaxiids and freshwater crayfish in areas with lower sediment and weed levels, and the restoration work is intended to enhance and expand this habitat.
Weeowna Farms: wetland planting
At Weeowna Farms, funding supported wetland planting and sediment traps, helping to establish and restore wetland habitat on the property.
Sediment trap prior to plantings
Sediment trap after plantings (December 2025)
CMS Farm Ltd: wetland fencing
CMS Farm Ltd completed a project to fence off two wetland areas on the property, excluding livestock and protecting these environmentally significant areas.
The project involved marking the fencing boundaries, installing permanent fencing around both wetland areas and completing site clean-up. By preventing stock access, the fencing will help protect native wetland habitat, reduce sediment and nutrient inputs, and support water quality and biodiversity. The permanent fencing will also allow the wetlands to recover naturally over time, supporting the long-term sustainability of the property.
Thriving Southland is a community-led group with a vision to create a prosperous Southland, healthy people, healthy environment from the mountains to the sea.
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