Whitcombe Landcare Group Gains Ground in the Rakaia Gorge

The Whitcombe Landcare Group has been quietly building real momentum across the upper Rakaia catchment, with the past year marked by practical progress in freshwater monitoring, pest management and community-led environmental action. Backed by facilitation support and targeted project funding, the group has been turning local knowledge and landholder commitment into meaningful work on the ground.

One of the group’s main areas of focus has been developing a coordinated pest management programme. From May through to September 2025, members worked with chair Paul Ensor, Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective (MCCC) facilitator Harry Millar (Rural Consulting) and Boffa Miskell to shape a funding proposal to the Rakaia Conservation and Environmental Enhancement Society. The application was successful and will see the delivery of a targeted control and monitoring programme which will help inform the type of pest animal species present within the groups command area and their densities. It is hoped that a second phase of funding will utilise the knowledge gained to develop a control programme specific to the area.

Another success for the group was the SHMAK and eDNA training day alongside the Glenrock Stream. The field session was well attended and gave members hands-on training in stream health assessment, freshwater ecology and environmental DNA sampling. More importantly, it helped build long-term capability within the group, giving landholders practical tools to better understand stream condition and use that information to support future management decisions.

That work did not stop at the training day. Seventeen eDNA samples were later collected across the Rakaia Gorge and analysed for participating properties. Individual landholders received tailored reports explaining species detected, ecosystem health indicators and what the findings meant for their waterways. By linking scientific tools with real farm and catchment management, the project has helped build confidence in the pristine state of the freshwater environments across the area.

More recently, Whitcombe Landcare Group has turned its attention to Canadian geese control in the upper Rakaia catchment. Work in February and March progressed a funding application for a targeted eradication project and re-opened discussions with wider stakeholders on the need for a more coordinated regional response, something the group will continue to advocate for. The focus on geese control reflects growing concern about the impact of Canadian geese on not just the upper Rakaia catchment’s braided riverbeds, but wider Canterbury High Country landscapes, particularly wetland and riparian margins, where overgrazing is reducing habitat quality for native plants and wildlife. Their roosting and feeding behaviour are also known to increase the risk of faecal contamination in waterways, posing a threat to freshwater quality and wider environmental, cultural and recreational values.

Future opportunities identified by the group include a continuation of wetland and native planting enhancement, further SHMAK testing and continued eDNA monitoring. Together, those next steps show a group continuing to grow its capability and strengthen environmental stewardship across the unique Rakaia Gorge landscape.

Harry Millar is the  Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective facilitator