About OHRN

Our Vision:

An ecologically healthy river that people take pride in, care for and enjoy.

Our Purpose:

We are a voice for the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River, advocating on its behalf to:
● promote the regeneration of the health and mauri of the awa, and
● connect with and support communities within the river catchment
We are a community group committed to working collaboratively to restore the ecological health of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River and its catchment.

Our collaborative approach means that we work with the ‘planners’ (from Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury) on river issues, and the ‘doers’ – the community groups, schools and others that work along the river. We are also involved in catchment-wide river activities such as the annual Mother of all Clean-ups in May, World Rivers Day, Estuary Fest and other events.

Collaboration

What we actually do…

  • Advocate for the river and for the environmental community groups which are active along the river by submitting as appropriate to the:
    • CCC Long-Term Plan, Annual Plan, Stormwater Management Plans, other Council proposals
    • ECAN Long-Term Plan, Annual Plan, other resource issues
    • Government Policy Statements
  • Advocate for the river by reviewing Resource Consents for adverse effects on the river and making submissions as appropriate.
  • Actively participate in the Community Water Partnership
  • Actively participate in environmental groups such as the Lower Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Working Group established by the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board to develop a plan for lower reaches of the river
  • Act as an umbrella organisation publicising and advocating for the work of community groups active in restoring the catchment of the river
  • Engage with the community to develop broader understanding of the issues of water quality and ecosystems of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River and its catchment
We are doing this because we care deeply about the health and the mauri of the river; about connecting our community around the river; and, about advocating on behalf of the river.

Our Strategic Plan

This Strategic Plan was adopted in September, 2021.  We are now in the process of creating an Action Plan to implement this Strategic Plan.

To view a enlarged version, please click the image.

Stratplan2021p1
Stratplan2021p2

Other Plans

Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy