EOS Ecology

'WAI CONNECTION' REGIONAL UPDATE – April 2025 As the weather cools and we head into winter, our ‘Wai Connection’ team has been busy across Waitaha/Canterbury, supporting communities to connect with their local waterways through events, workshops, and catchment mahi. What we’ve accomplished over the last few months:   Waitaha Regional Hui We closed out 2024 with our second regional hui, bringing together catchment groups to reflect on progress, explore challenges, and identify actions to better support community-led freshwater initiatives. If you'd like a copy of the report please contact us.   North Canterbury Activity From stalls and stream workshops to meaningful kōrero, we've been proud to support the Kaikōura, Cheviot, and Waimakariri communities. A highlight was our Get to Know the Jed Day – celebrating community engagement, and sharing catchment knowledge with the Jed River Catchment Project and Kaikōura Water Zone Committee. We're excited that FCMS documents are underway for the Kōwhai, Upper Waimakariri, and Rakahuri/Ashley rivers.   Mid-Canterbury Activity A strong start to the year with community events, local shows, and a major milestone for the Wairewa Mahinga Kai Catchment Group who completed their first independent water quality sampling! We also supported kōrero at Mini Estuary Fest 2025, Little River A&P, and Duvauchelle shows. FCMS development and monitoring plans are progressing well across Selwyn and Ashburton.   South Canterbury Activity We were busy with the Ahuriri Fish Celebration Day, catchment group training, and 'Nature Agents' sessions with schools in ŌTOP. We were also thrilled to support the Burkes Pass River Wildlife Day, and delivered hands-on training with Barkers Creek, Te Moana, Ōrari Gorge catchment groups, and the crew at Arowhenua Native Nursery. There's FCMS documents in development for Upper Ōpihi, and Temuka/Four Peaks Foothills.   By the Numbers – Last 3 Months • 7 community engagement events • 2 communities trained in water quality monitoring • 4 'Nature Agents' sessions in schools – www.natureagents.co.nz • 6 A&P shows supported • 3 days at South Island Agricultural Field Days • Multiple new FCMS documents developed across Waitaha   These events showcase the passion and dedication within your catchment communities, and we're proud to stand alongside you!   Want to learn more, or see your catchment visualised? Visit www.waiconnection.nz #FreshwaterConservation #CatchmentCommunities #WaitahaCatchments #WaterQuality #WaiConnection www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | Manatū mō te Taiao | Explore the new EOS website: www.eosecology.co.nz Follow us here or on Facebook for upcoming events and stories. Download FCMS here: www.waiconnection.nz

It’s the final day of South Island Agricultural Field Days. And one big thing we’ve noticed over the last three days is how technology is helping farmers manage their land in the best possible way. Whilst tech isn’t a silver bullet, it's certainly a powerful tool. One example of this is Farmax Ltd and FarmIQ Systems Ltd. Farmax is modelling software that makes a digital twin of livestock farms. Farmers use this tool to predict outcomes from hypothetical situations. FarmIQ is software that records the actual outcomes on the farm, which is then fed back into the model. Over time, the model learns and gets better at predicting the 'real' outcomes. Farm management becomes more effective and efficient, supporting productivity, animal health, and the environment, while meeting compliance requirements. And from a catchment management perspective, the more farms operate efficiently and make good, data-driven decisions, the better for catchments as a whole. #waiconnection #CatchmentManagement #SIAFD www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

At the South Island Agricultural Field Days, there's lots of talk about using drones for spraying.   There is still a place for traditional blanket spraying, but drones can be more targeted. In certain scenarios, they are more cost effective to operate, including using less spray to achieve the desired outcome. Their ability to target goes even deeper, to how they apply the spray. With certain flying techniques, they can cover the entire plant, including the underside. This full coverage kills the pest plant faster. With our catchment management hat on, pesticides and herbicides can have an impact on waterways. Achieving the desired result with less spray is a win in our book.   Thanks to Agricultural Consulting Services and Longridge Contracting for the enjoyable chats about drones and spraying.     Erron and Catherine are at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. If you’re at Field Days on Friday come by and say hi.   #waiconnection #CatchmentManagement #SIAFD www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

We’re at Day 1 of the South Island Agricultural Field Days. It’s a sunny day out in Kirwee and there's a fantastic vibe in the air.   With our focus on catchment management, it’s been amazing to walk round the event and see so much tech geared towards effective land management.   We’ve noticed stands offering soil moisture monitoring solutions to make farm irrigation programmes more efficient and effective.   Aqualinc Research Limited provide soil moisture probes for pasture management, while Agri Water Services measure moisture penetration for arable crops.    They both aim to help farmers know when areas need to be irrigated, and how much to irrigate to achieve optimal plant condition, thus only applying water when it's needed and only the amount that's required. There’s less water wastage, which is good news.   We’re looking forward to the next two days at the Field Days. If you’re at the event come by and say hi. Erron Henderson and Catherine Grima are at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. #waiconnection #CatchmentManagement #SIAFD www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

Like chocolate fish and guessing games? Fancy the chance to win an eDNA test to identify the genetic material in one of your local waterways and get a feel for what species are swimming around in there?   Come along to the EOS Ecology stand, Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee, at South Island Agricultural Field Days to guess the water clarity from a waterway near Kirwee.   Using a clarity tube to measure sediment in local streams is a good way to monitor your waterways. And you don't need to send samples off to a lab. You can learn to do it yourself.   Come and say hey to Cazz and Erron at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. Check out some water samples in clarity tubes, enter the competition, and talk to us about training up your community to monitor water clarity. www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

If surface water management is a growing headache in your region, come and talk catchment management with our team at South Island Agricultural Field Days. Our catchment management planning experience includes large integrated catchment management plans, as well as smaller plans with a single focus. We’ve a robust, proven process for developing catchment management plans, working in collaboration with councils, mana whenua, community/catchment groups, farmers, dairy industry, and government bodies. As part of this, we can engage with your stakeholders and wider community on your behalf, or support your team if you prefer to do community engagement yourself. Our catchment management plans are easy for your wider community to understand. Our team of professional science interpreters and designers are skilled at making technical info engaging and accessible. We've developed a range of tools and solutions suitable for different types of waterways you can use to implement your catchment management plans, including: • sediment traps • options for improving bank stability • small- and large-scale water quality improvements • maps that compile data from 150+ national and regional sources to give communities a detailed understanding of their freshwater catchments • and more. A big part of catchment management is monitoring. When you begin to implement your catchment management plan, we can provide guidance on effective ways to track progress. We can also help train and support your community/catchment groups to monitor waterways and gather data. Come and meet with Erron or Cazz at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. #freshwater #surfacewater #catchmentmanagement We’re EOS Ecology, experts in surface water ecosystems – freshwater, estuary and coastal. Come say “hi”, and grab a free chocolate fish (or five) at South Island Agricultural Field Days, 26–28 March 2025. www.eosecology.co.nz

Heading to the South Island Agricultural Field Days and keen to learn more about community-based freshwater monitoring? Come along and say “hi” at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. Councils and catchment groups across Canterbury and Aotearoa work with us to understand, manage and improve their local freshwater catchments. One of the ways we can do that is by supporting catchment groups to develop a monitoring programme, or guide them through their existing waterway monitoring plan. We’ve also created a brand-new resource to support catchment groups with freshwater monitoring planning. The Focus Catchment Map Series (FCMS) we developed through the ‘Wai Connection’ project (www.waiconnection.nz) pulls together data from 150+ sources to give a big-picture view of a catchment – including factors affecting catchment processes, water quality, and ecology. The resource helps catchment groups identify any data gaps that need filling. Catchment groups often lack time and resource, so the FCMS is essential when it comes to helping identify the most important things to monitor, ensuring they can focus their energy and funds. We also give community groups the training and confidence to undertake their own monitoring, with our freshwater scientists offering technical support and scientific expertise. Groups are trained to follow community-based monitoring quality assurance processes, so their data is trustworthy and reliable. If you’re going to be at South Island Agricultural Field Days, come and meet Helena and Briar – they’re part of the EOS Ecology ‘Wai Connection’ engagement team, and in the last year they’ve helped train 69+ local catchment groups across Canterbury to collect accurate freshwater data. Talk to them about your catchment group’s monitoring needs, or what monitoring you’re doing already – they’d love to hear your story. They can also share stories from our ‘Wai Connection’ catchment groups with you – we reckon you’ll find them as inspiring as we do. They can also take you through an FCMS, so you can see if it would be a useful resource for your catchment group. You can also ask about any monitoring training needs your catchment group may have, and explain how we can help you set up freshwater monitoring and quality assurance processes. If you can’t make it to the Field Days, drop us a DM if you’d like to talk to us about what support is available for your community group, now and in the future. #freshwater #surfacewater #catchmentmanagement #waiconnection We’re EOS Ecology, a provider organisation for ‘Wai Connection’ and experts in surface water ecosystems – freshwater, estuary and coastal. Come say “hi”, and grab a free chocolate fish (or five) at South Island Agricultural Field Days, 26–28 March 2025. www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

If you work for a regional council and you’re coming to the South Island Agricultural Field Days in March, we’d love to show you the Focus Catchment Map Series (FCMS) we developed through the ‘Wai Connection’ project (www.waiconnection.nz), which is a tool that aids your understanding of local waterways. This resource pulls together surface water data from 150+ sources to give a big picture view of catchment info, including factors affecting catchment processes, water quality, and ecology. Designed to be easy-to-use and accessible for anyone, community/catchment groups, rural landowners and farmers can use the maps to understand their catchment. The maps show the current state of catchment waterways, and help you understand what natural factors influence the functioning of your waterways. You can see any data and knowledge gaps for your catchment, and make a plan to fill those gaps with community-based freshwater monitoring. Also, you can discover the special things about your catchment, whether that’s rare species or healthy habitat – so you can celebrate and care for your local treasures. If the FCMS sounds like a valuable tool to support your catchment management kōrero with communities, come and introduce yourself to Erron or Cazz at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. We’ll show you how the FCMS works, and how you could use them for the betterment of your community. #freshwater #surfacewater #catchmentmanagement #waiconnection We’re EOS Ecology, a provider organisation for ‘Wai Connection’ and experts in surface water ecosystems – freshwater, estuary and coastal. Come say “hi”, and grab a free chocolate fish (or five) at South Island Agricultural Field Days, 26–28 March 2025. www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

Catchment management planning isn’t only for councils. Catchment groups, farmers, rural landowners, and community organisations can also maintain local waterways, and take a strategic, integrated approach to surface water management. We help catchment groups with catchment management planning, and we've a suite of tools ideal for catchment groups. From Wednesday March 26–Friday March 28, we’ll be at South Island Agricultural Field Days. Come say “hi” to the team, and grab a free chocolate fish (or five) at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. They’ll show you the Focus Catchment Map Series, a user-friendly resource we developed through the ‘Wai Connection’ project (www.waiconnection.nz), designed to help community groups understand their local waterways. These maps pull together publicly available data on surface waterways. We compiled data from 150+ national and regional sources to give communities a detailed understanding of their freshwater catchments. Community groups can use this data in catchment management planning, Freshwater Farm Plans, climate resilience projects, and habitat restoration. If you have waterways on your property, or you’re part of a community/catchment group caring for surface water in your region, come and say hello to Erron, Cazz, Helena or Briar at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. We’d love to hear about your work! #freshwater #surfacewater #catchmentmanagement #waiconnection We’re EOS Ecology, a provider organisation for ‘Wai Connection’ and experts in surface water ecosystems – freshwater, estuary and coastal. Come find us at South Island Agricultural Field Days, 26–28 March 2025. www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz

If you’re coming to South Island Agricultural Field Days, you’re invited to come and check out the Focus Catchment Map Series (FCMS) we developed through the ‘Wai Connection’ project (www.waiconnecton.nz), a resource designed to help you understand your local freshwater catchment. To build this tool, we reviewed 150+ sources of surface water data, and selected the most relevant to help with your catchment planning. To our knowledge, nothing of this scale has been done before in Aotearoa. While all the data we used in the maps was publicly available, historically, councils and community/catchment groups had to track it down, bring it together, and decipher it themselves. This wasn’t easy, and it took a long time – thousands of hours in fact. We know. We've done the hard work for you, gathering, analysing, integrating, and interpreting this data – making it easy for communities to understand and apply. Maps produced for each FCMS can cover seven key areas: 1.    Catchment overview 2.    Factors affecting catchment processes 3.    Land management 4.    Water quality 5.    Ecological data 6.    Connection to the coast 7.    Lake Trophic Level Index (TLI) Each FCMS resource provides valuable insights into the health and challenges of the focus catchment. Explanations help you understand your catchment, pinpoints critical areas for improvement, and shows where there are great things happening. The maps also allow you to look at how your waterways compare to catchments in other regions. If the FCMS sounds like a valuable tool for your catchment area, come and meet with Erron or Cazz at Stand C62 in the Agri Marquee. We’ll show you how the FCMS works, and how you could use them to aid catchment management planning in your region. #freshwater #surfacewater #catchmentmanagement #waiconnection We’re EOS Ecology, a provider organisation for ‘Wai Connection’ and experts in surface water ecosystems – freshwater, estuary and coastal. Come say “hi”, and grab a free chocolate fish (or five) at South Island Agricultural Field Days, 26–28 March 2025. www.waiconnection.nz | Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust | Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao | www.eosecology.co.nz