Rangitikei Accord good move

Anna Wallis PHOTO/FILE

THE Rangitikei River is one of the most beautiful rivers in New Zealand.

Its clear water, papa cliffs and canyons, swimming holes and sheer length of 185 kilometres make it special.

Those are my likes - other people will appreciate it for different reasons.

And moves are afoot to keep it special with the formation of a Rangitikei River Accord.

Because that clear water isn't as healthy as it could be. Between 2005 and 2011 the invertebrate life in the Rangitikei went from good to poor. The reasons - sewage discharge, intensive farming, hill country erosion and industrial and septic tank discharge.

It's early days for the accord, or rather early days for the discussions around setting it up.

Rangitikei mayor Andy Watson says the river doesn't have major problems - and that's probably a comparison with such rivers as the Manawatu. He advocates establishing the accord while the river is "still in good condition".

That makes sense - get the guidelines sorted now so the river gets no worse and set about returning it to optimum health.

A Rangitikei River Forum talked about what success would look like. The answer was a "measurable improvement in the water quality and biodiversity, plus meeting the cultural, social, economic and recreational wellbeing of the community." It's not a bad starting point.

There's some real knowledge in the region that can be tapped into - the independent chair of the Manawatu River Leaders Forum is Wanganui's Richard Thompson.

While the Rangitikei might not have the issues of the Manawatu - labelled one of the dirtiest in the western world before the clean up - the birth of its management strategy is a decent enough precedent.

Good work has already been done by the Rangitikei Environment Group and wastewater treatment plants are being upgraded.

The accord is essential to keeping the Rangitikei River safe - after all it's called the barometer of the region's health.