A second generation of the action plan was developed in 2016 and, earlier this month - five years later, forum members got together to look at refreshing and updating the accord.
Long-time independent chairman Richard Thompson, who had been instrumental in getting parties around the table, stepped down and the forum is moving towards a co-governance approach with myself and Danielle Harris of Rangitāne taking on the role of co-chairs.
At this recent meeting, it was acknowledged some good work has been carried out, but we are far from done. Science was presented that showed water quality in some areas of the catchment is still below national bottom lines or is continuing to decline. The headwaters of the catchment are generally in close to pristine condition, but the further downstream you go from the sources of the river, the more the negative impacts of land use, industry and urban settlements become visible.
Although our work is not done, we know the model of the accord has been successful in instigating change. Since its inception, more than $66 million has been invested in accord initiatives and a sizeable chunk of this came from central government. An unexpected outcome was the strength of the relationships that have developed out of the forum, leading to further partnerships and collaboration.
We cannot yet celebrate our end-goal of seeing the river back to full health. No single action led to the decline of water quality and no single solution will fix it. This renewing of the accord is but one more step along the journey and we need to plan what the next steps are that will make the most difference to the health of the river.
• Rachel Keedwell is chairwoman of Horizons Regional Council.