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Water heroes will be celebrated at the 2017 New Zealand River Awards

The 5th annual NZ River Awards dinner and ceremony is being held in Wellington on Thursday 23rd November.  The venue is Wharewaka Function Centre, Odlins Square, 2 Taranaki Street, Wellington Waterfront. Drinks are from 5.30pm and the awards dinner and presentations are from 6.30pm.

The key note speaker is Hon Karlene Maywald, advisor to the private and public sector on water issues in Australia and Asia. “Water belongs to us all and we must work together and share this most important resource,” says Maywald. “This lesson was reinforced when I helped progress national reforms to the management of the Murray Darling Basin and set the direction for long term water security in South Australia. Maywald has learnt that “the complexities of water management and conflict between competing demands constantly test the robustness of decision making and ability to implement long-term planning."

At the Awards evening, the Most Improved River Awards, which recognise the most improved rivers in each region and nationally, will be announced. Judging is currently underway to determine which rivers show the greatest long-term improvement based on a specific water quality indicator. Each year a different indicator is used, and 2017 uses e-coli levels.

Another highlight at the dinner will be the best New Zealand River Stories, which celebrate the contributions of our young people. All the 2017 entries are magnificent examples of individuals, communities, organisations and businesses doing something positive for local waterways.

This year the Awards are being run by Cawthron Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that encourages a sharing of ideas and knowledge, around science and the environment. Generous support is provided by Gawith-Deans Family Trust, Living Water, THL, Ministry for Environment and the Department of Conservation.

For more information contact foundation@cawthron.org.nz