Meet Our Board
Our MCG committee members, all residents of the Manuherekia Valley, come from different parts of the catchment. This wide geographic spread helps us consider and effectively address the diverse issues affecting our catchment.
Andrew Paterson
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Anna Gillespie
Anna Gillespie is a founding member and co-chair of the Manuherekia Catchment Group. As well as running a finishing beef and dairy grazing operation on the family’s 400-hectare farm in Omakau with husband Ben, Anna is heavily involved in the Central Otago community and farming sector.
Looking after the land is a passion of Anna’s. Her family have installed kilometres of fencing on their farm and planted more than 20,000 native trees and shrubs. They have run propagation days with local groups and schools on the farm providing education and guidance on native plantings.
Anna was instrumental in securing the Manuherekia Catchment Group’s successful Exemplar Project bid that saw $2.9 million in Jobs for Nature funding secured for the Thomson’s Creek project. The installation of a barrier preventing trout and perch from moving upstream where they pose a threat to Galaxiids has been a stand-out success for the group and a highlight for Anna.
Building on the Group’s successes and securing consistent funding is a key goal for Anna: “It’s full steam ahead. There’s a lot to do.”
In addition to chairing the Manuherekia Catchment Group and work on farm, Anna is also Vice President of the Federated Farmers Otago Provincial Executive.
“It took a lot of work getting everyone involved and it has been a standout success”.
Ro McDiarmid
A desire to better understand how to apply legislation and regulation on-farm led Ro McDiarmid to join the Manuherekia Catchment Group. She has been with the group since its evolution, and says it has been a transformative experience, working with like-minded farmers.
“Navigating the legislation and regulations can be overwhelming for farmers in terms of how to apply on their own farm. Catchment groups provide information that really help farmers.”
Based in Oturehua in the Ida Valley, Ro McDiarmid and her husband Karl run the 1380-hectare Gorge Creek Flat beef finishing farm. The property has been in her husband’s family for three generations and until recently was run as a traditional sheep and beef farm.
Despite the size of the property, Ro and her family have been cognisant of the need to protect waterways and biodiversity on farm. More than 70% of the waterways on the farm are permanently fenced and stock is excluded from the remaining areas with temporary wires. Within the farm, 150ha is run with the TechnoGrazing™, an innovative Kiwi development that makes rotational grazing more efficient, productive, and sustainable. The farm has also converted to the highly efficient pivot irrigation.
Ro is also on the Ida Valley Catchment Group committee. The group is working on a project in Ida Valley clearing out willows from the Poolburn Gorge and helping the Poolburn School to build a glasshouse for native seedlings and propagation. There is also a small project developing between the Catchment Group and Gorge Creek Flats, planting out a small gully in the spring.
“Getting Clare Hadley on board has been a highlight. Her enthusiasm is infectious.”
Josie Lake
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Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly has long been a proponent of water conservation and was a core committee member of the Manuherekia Catchment Group from the outset.
“Getting everyone in the community and catchment on board is a key focus of the Manuherekia Catchment Group and providing education about the value of water and irrigation conservation.”
Based in Galloway, Mike and his wife own a 10-hectare block where they farm sheep, and have a 1ha walnut orchard. The couple have implemented several sustainable initiatives on their farm including switching to spray irrigation to use less water and reduce run off. They are also planting native trees and shrubs to improve the biodiversity in the area.
The Kelly’s farm includes 6ha of irrigated land with water sourced from the Manuherika River via the Galloway Irrigation Scheme.
It was Mike’s interest in irrigation, the river and environmental protection that led Mike to join the Otago Resource Water Resource Users Group Strategy Group, the precursor to the Manuherekia Catchment Group.
Mike brings a wealth of science and planning knowledge to the group, holding a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Master of Applied Science in Planning and Climatology, and having worked for years as a Planning Consultant for WSP Ltd in Alexandra. His role at WSP saw him working with landowners to source water permits for all purposes including irrigation and there are considerable crossovers with the work he undertook at WSP and that of the Manuherekia Catchment Group.
In addition to being part of the Manuherekia Catchment Group, Mike is secretary/treasurer for the Galloway Irrigation Society, which has a vested interest in the Manuherekia Mainsteam sub-catchment.
“Balancing flows benefits not only farmers but the whole community, ensuring there is water for the towns, for recreational use, and for farming.”
Ken Gillespie
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Harriet Jopp
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Stewart Craig
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Mary Flannery
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Phil Smith
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