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Drinkable Rivers
Restoring the health of our rivers begins with people. Our partnership with Drinkable Rivers is helping communities reconnect with their local waterways, one reserve, one conversation, one planting day at a time.
We have supported Drinkable Rivers with its phased approach. Following the success in Corfe Reserve, Avonhead, Christchurch, the team are now embarking on Stage 2 just downstream in Peer Reserve.
Stage 1: Corfe Reserve — Where connection took root
Our journey began at Corfe Reserve in 2019, where a small 50-metre planting zone grew into a thriving community hub of care and connection. Each week, neighbours, tamariki from Avonhead Primary, Scouts, and local families gather beside the Avon River / Ōtākaro to plant, weed, chat and learn together.
Over time, life has returned — eels weaving through the shallows, bellbirds nesting overhead, monarch butterflies floating by. The data shows healthier water, and the community feels it too: fewer pests, more native growth, more laughter and shared stories along the riverbank.
But perhaps the most powerful outcome is social: people who once walked past each other now stop for kōrero, share tools and kai, and take pride in their shared patch. Corfe Reserve has become a living classroom for regeneration — a reminder that when we seed care, belonging takes root.
Stage 2: Peer Reserve — Growing the movement, generation by generation
Building on the success at Corfe, the next stretch of river at Peer Reserve is where the movement flows forward. Here, we’re combining community energy with open-source water-quality data to guide our restoration mahi.
Tamariki and kaumātua, students and retirees, neighbours and council partners come together to monitor, plant, clean, and kōrero about the health of the Avon / Ōtākaro. Real-time sensors show us what’s changing beneath the surface; local hands and hearts respond above it.
This intergenerational effort is as much about people as it is about the river. It’s where school groups learn by doing, elders pass on wisdom, and families shape a legacy of stewardship for the next generation.
Together, we’re proving that data and community can flow in the same current — and that restoring our rivers can restore us, too.
We are actively working on this stage during 2025 - 2026.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Please contact us if you are interested in supporting this regenerative project,
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