Resilience comes under spotlight in Hawke's Bay

Hawke's Bay is hosting the annual national conference of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management, held at the Mission Estate. Photo/File

Challenges, results, and community support of the first catchment plan change to go through an Environmental Protection Agency process were shared with the nation yesterday.

To a crowd of central government members, staff from primary production groups, and councils from around the country, Hawke's Bay Regional Council group manager strategic development James Palmer discussed the Tukituki Plan Change 6, and the TANK collaborative process.

Yesterday was the first in the three-day annual national conference of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management.

Hosted in a different region each year, attendees have flocked to Hawke's Bay, where this year's conference is hosted at the Mission Estate.

With the theme of building resilience, yesterday Mr Palmer's discussion was one attendees enjoyed in a number of sessions discussing frameworks, policy, personal and community resilience.

As well as a number of local and national speakers, two Australian guest speakers have been invited to specifically look at the concept of resilience and its application for land and water management.

Attendees will also get to explore Hawke's Bay, with field trips to highlight some of the challenges in resource management and resilience faced in the region.

Today attendees will crowd around the banks of lake Tutira, travel to the Karamu stream, and visit Landwise's microfarm on Ruahapia Road to look at sustainable cropping options.

They will then enjoy a conference dinner back at the estate where Ruud Kleinpaste, ambassador for Hawke's Bay's large Cape to City project will be the guest speaker.

A trip to the Tukituki catchment to look at implementation of the Tukituki Plan which aims to reduce nutrients into water is planned for tomorrow, before visiting Kintail Honey's dry stock farm where a "trees for bees" planting aims to provide a sustainable, year-round food stock for hives.