The Rise of Catchment Groups in Aotearoa NZ (EP28 with Sam the Trap Man)

Nature doesn’t stop at the fence-line, so why should conservation?

Throughout Aotearoa, catchment groups are changing the conservation narrative. Farmers, foresters, iwi and communities are working together at landscape scale - proving that when landowners are given structure and support, they become powerful custodians of nature.

The results ripple well beyond any single farm gate. From 6,000-hectare predator control projects to riparian planting that cools streams, this work flows from the headwaters to the moana, making towns more resilient to cyclones, waterways healthier, and ecosystems more connected.

But catchment groups are more than conservation alone. In remote communities, they’re taking on roading contracts, generating local jobs, and providing disaster resilience - building social fabric as well as ecological health ...