Environment Canterbury
Around the motu: David Hill from North Canterbury
David is in Kaikoura today where an old go-kart track south of the town is attracting petrolheads from around the South Island, causing trouble and upsetting residents. Environment Canterbury is in… Audio
Dairy farmer bridges cultural gap beside braided awa
With the help of a cultural land advisor, North Canterbury farmer John Faulkner is creating a diverse mahinga kai - Māori food gathering site - on his riverside property. Audio
Farmers proud to be guardians of ancient drawings
There are hundreds of drawings on limestone rock, some of which could be up to 1000 years old, in South Canterbury. Peter Evans believes it was his grandfather who discovered the ancient drawings on… Audio
Sniffing dog stops wallabies skipping south
A cute detection dog called Toby is helping an Otago pest control team track down wily wallabies crossing the Waitaki River. The Aussie imports are escaping South Canterbury's Wallaby Containment… Audio
Sheep farmer struggles to control huge hungry hoppers
Best of 2022 - Back in the 1950s, a group of wallabies turned up at Wainui Station... and never left. Audio
Farming couple struggle to get their heads around new rules
Implementing farm environment plans has been at times confusing for Lees Valley farmers Craig and Marilyn Dalzell, so they've called on their son Alex to help out. Audio
Anthonie Tonnon: singing the news
Many songwriters turn inward for inspiration. Anthonie Tonnon turns to the newspapers, writing about toxic waste in the Mataura Paper Mill, the housing crisis, the decline of regional rail and even an… Audio
Geraldine farmers go to bat for endangered species
Award winning wagyu beef farmers Evan and Clare Chapman were going to cut down a row of willows at their Kakahu property until they discovered a colony of long-tailed bats/pekapeka had made the old… Audio, Gallery
Drinking water nitrate levels 'dire and getting worse'
Nitrate levels in Canterbury's drinking water are increasing, Forest and Bird says, but the last time the regional council updated its risk map for drinking water wells was 17 months ago. Audio
The ex-miner bringing Ngāi Tahu sustainability knowledge to Canterbury farmers
For hundreds of years, Māori have strategically tended, harvested and protected food resources around Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) in Canterbury. Today, local farmers are learning these same indigenous… Video, Audio
Go with the Flow
Adopting best-practice farming systems and fencing off streams to improve water quality are ongoing tasks for James Guild and his son Hamish who farm around the headwaters of the Selwyn River in… Audio
Familiar faces among ECan appointments
The government has reappointed four existing commissioners to the Canterbury Regional Council.
Battle lines drawn around Environment Canterbury table
Canterbury's newly elected regional council is divided between environmentalists and those from farming backgrounds - but that could change, with four more councillors due to be appointed. Audio
ECan refers taxi payments to Serious Fraud Office
Canterbury's regional council has alerted police to payments of $420,000 for taxi trips it says may not have taken place.
Drought report a Pyrrhic win for 'Bung the Bore' - campaigners
An admission by the Canterbury regional council that groundwater levels are very low is being described as a sad victory for those who fought to stop a water bottling plant being established in…
The Water of my Land
They don't agree about much, but at least they're willing to speak up. Waikari artist, writer and environmentalist Sam Mahon meets with Medbury dairy farmer Dave Hislop to discuss their different… Audio
Fish & Game criticise leniency shown to Chief Justice
Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her businessman husband Hugh Fletcher have been let off with a warning after their cattle were seen wading in a high country Canterbury lake. Audio
Deadline to fix Canterbury rivers missed
The Canterbury Regional Council has failed to meet its own target for cleaning up the region's rivers - and has, in fact, gone backwards.
ECan's Future Direction
Conan Young explores democracy, water rights and the future of Environment Canterbury Audio
Wainono Wetland
A restoration project is underway at the Wainono lagoon in South Canterbury to provide more and better freshwater to support the lagoon's ecosystems, as well as improve habitat and species numbers… Audio