Congratulations to the 2025 Waimakariri Environmental Awards Winners

These awards were first awarded in 2023 by the Waimakariri Zone

Committee. This year their management passed to the trust supported

by Waimakariri District Council and Environment Canterbury.

The awards celebrate the individuals and groups in our community who

are championing, protecting, restoring and conserving our environment

in its widest sense. Nominations were in three categories and each

winner received a gift voucher and certificate. All nominees receive a

certificate of appreciation.

These were presented by Judith Roper-Lindsay, Sandra Stewart and

Richard Chambers at the Community Service awards evening on 19

September.

Youth Award - Tihiraki North Loburn School Enviro Group

Tihiraki North Loburn School is proud of being a Green Gold Enviroschool. The Enviroleaders are a group of Year 6 - 8 students passionate about sustainability and environmental leadership. In addition to learning and taking action on sustainability within the school and wider community, these students have been instrumental in establishing the North Loburn School Trap Library, fostering community participation in predator control.

The Enviroleaders have been researching the importance of natives in biodiversity, planning to grow and plant native seedlings for their school and community. They conduct water monitoring in their local waterways, further connecting environmental education with practical action. Students engage in robust discussions, develop critical thinking and teamwork as they work and learn alongside each other to make positive change - demonstrating that young leaders can have a meaningful impact on environmental challenges.

Individual Award - Glenn Foley

Glen spends time along the Kaiapoi and Waimakariri rivers picking up rubbish, planting trees and trapping predators, mostly as just a great excuse to get outside and walk the dogs.

“It’s amazing to see how long plastic bottles survive trapped in swamp land, how many lonely shoes get lost, the constant supply of Tennis balls and watching seedlings grow above the long grass” says Glenn. “I’d love to see more of the unused patches of grass turn into forests.”

Glenn thanked all the people who helped him along the way, particularly Chris Chic who joined him on many of these adventures and helped source plants. “I enjoy the adventure of these activities whether its trudging through mud or taking the boat out to collect rubbish, evening planting sessions with Chris or the many kilometres walking to pick up rubbish or to the trap lines”.

Individual Award - Gavin and Kylie Bay

Gavin and Kylie’s dairy farm borders the Ashley River and they are committed to ensuring they limit their impact on the river water quality, quantity, and flora and fauna. They are also working on a range of farm projects and management steps to integrate productivity and sustainability. 

They planted natives along farm laneways, waterways, and wetland areas; seek to minimize fertilizer use, and test soils to monitor this; and work to enhance mahinga kai. They have installed solar panels on the dairy shed to help minimize power use from the grid. In addition they run a Motor Caravan Association site on the property from where visitors experience dairy farming firsthand  and learn about the way the Bays farm in a sustainable and simple way. Gavin and Kylie participate in Synlait and Nestle programmes to continue their learning.

Outside the farm they are involved with the Oxford and District Lions, Ashley Gorge Advisory board and the PTA at Oxford Area School.

Group Award - Ohoka Domain Advisory Group

The Ohoka Domain has been developed as a native reserve, with the aim of regenerating the indigenous fauna and flora that was once covering this area. In 1996 The Advisory Group undertook extensive plantings around the existing Domain, then in 2006 took up the Challenge “use it or lose it” and began developing stage two; the 20 acres of ʻThe Southern Paddock’ now called The Ohoka Bush. The small group of ODAG s have continued planting, developing and maintaining The Ohoka Bush for the last 19 years.

This absolutely spectacular, maturing Bush is the result of their thousands of voluntary hours work.

The Ohoka Gatekeepers Lodge is a restoration project within the Ohoka Bush. The Lodge is listed as a category Two Historic Place and is now an iconic symbol of Ohoka. The historic Lodge was gifted to the Ohoka Bush and trucked onto the site just 2km from its original sight at the gates of Ohoka Homestead in 2018.