Event Details: Slow the Flow, reduce the risk. Can we undo decades of damage by working with nature instead of against it? Discover how Environment Southland is reimagining floodplain management to restore balance, reduce risk, and protect precious waterways.
Over the past 70 years, Murihiku Southland has reshaped its landscape to move water faster - draining wetlands, straightening rivers, and creating a “leaky” land system in the name of floodrisk reduction and ‘development’. But speeding up water has come at a cost: a false sense of security, polluted waterways, and declining biodiversity.
Now, Environment Southland is leading a bold, long-term shift, exploring how a whole-of-catchment approach to floodplain management can reverse these impacts and build resilience for the next 70–100 years.
This session dives into how nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration, riparian planting, and reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, can slow water down, reduce contaminants, increase climate resilience, and bring life back to the land. It’s a story of systems thinking, intergenerational responsibility, and collaboration across sectors and communities.
The presentation will include interactive elements, inviting attendees to explore both the challenges and opportunities of reimagining water management in Aotearoa.
What to Expect / Key Takeaways:
Understand how historical land and water management choices have shaped Southland’s flood risk and ecological challenges today.
Learn how nature-based solutions offer powerful co-benefits: flood mitigation, water quality improvement, and biodiversity restoration.
Explore opportunities for community involvement in reshaping catchment management and building long-term resilience.
Meet Your Speaker:
Cost: $15 or included in your Better Summit Pass, Better Communities Pass and Food Resilience Pass.
