Research underway for New Report Card
The Waikato River Authority’s (WRA) latest Report Card is underway, ten years on from the first edition published in 2015.
Designed as a summary of the progress toward Te Ture Whaimana (Vision and Strategy) aspiration for a future where a healthy Waikato River catchment sustains abundant life and prosperous communities, the new Report Card will reflect on the successes and challenges since 2015, and set ambitions for 2025 and beyond.
Underpinned by Waikato River iwi cultural values and supported by scientific knowledge, the facilitator for the new Report Card is WRA Pou Kaitātari – Senior Policy Advisor Justine Young.
“We’ll be working with a group of dedicated individuals nominated by River Iwi, alongside the technical expertise provided by Earth Sciences New Zealand specialists,” says Justine.
Structured around eight taura (strands of a rope), the Report Card mirrors the idea of a school report. Each taura was originally graded from A to D, based on data and the best professional judgement of iwi and experts who have worked in the catchment for many years.
The project is still in its early stages, with Earth Sciences New Zealand specialists currently collating data from the previous Report Card and checking that the approach and indicators remain fit for purpose.
“There’s a lot of value in looking at what the Report Card is really good for – to see whether we’re on track, and whether the way we report and measure our indicators still makes sense,” Justine says.
A long-overdue appraisal for the WRA, this new Report Card is an important piece of work that will help guide the Authority’s future direction.
“We’ll be asking ourselves – is the direction of travel a positive one? What are the things we really need to pay attention to? Where are the successes, and what has contributed to them? Where are the challenges, and what do they tell us about where the River Authority needs to do more?”
Take a look at the 2015 Report Card here
