In celebration of the progress made so far, we are hosting a river festival on the banks of the river near Hardie Street Reserve in Palmerston North. This free event is brought to you by Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord partners, iwi, community groups, industry and landowners who are working together to improve the state of our river and wider catchment.

The journey to improve the state of the Manawatū River is a long one, but since the signing of the Accord a huge effort has been made by the Accord community and a lot of work has been done and we want to celebrate that. For example, since the Accord was signed in 2011 over two million plants have been planted to manage nutrients and protect habitats, over 600 kilometres of fencing erected to keep stock out of waterways, 46 community projects have been supported and six wastewater treatment plants were upgraded – the list goes on. Change will take time, however, the likes of a recent award for the Ōroua River shows we’re on the right track.

Along with celebrating the progress of initiatives underway the festival will be the first of its kind for the Manawatū River and will mark the launch of the 2018 progress report and a new Manawatū River website. We hope this new site (which you are on right now) will be a great resource for the community to discover what action is underway in each part of the catchment, explore the science behind the Accord and see how far we’ve come. It also provides information on how you could get involved. While there is always more that can be done, by all working together we will make a lasting difference and every little bit counts.

If you would like to learn more about this in person, come along to the first Manawatū River Festival on Saturday from 12-3pm near Hardie Street Reserve upstream of Fitzherbert Bridge in Palmerston North. Accord members will be onsite to answer questions and there will be food trucks and live music. Bring a picnic, or grab something to eat from one of the food trucks on site, and come along for some family-friendly entertainment including kapa haka and live music.

Let us know if you’re coming on the Facebook event, and share pics on the day with #loveyourriver and #manawaturiver.