Celebrating Conservation Week: Connecting the Otago Central Rail Trail with Thomsons Creek Catchment

This Conservation Week, we’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible community-led conservation happening right alongside the Otago Central Rail Trail. The Thomsons Creek Catchment Project is a shining example of how local farmers, iwi, environmental groups, and government agencies can come together to restore and protect our unique inland waterways.

Based on the detailed case study by the Manuherekia Catchment Group, here are some highlights of what’s been achieved between 2022 and 2025:

• Wetland creation & sediment control
  A 5-hectare wetland, complete with three engineered sediment traps along a 970-metre waterway, is already reducing sediment runoff. It has been planted with 44,000 native seedlings and is proving to be a hub for wildlife.
• Native fish protection
  A strategic fish barrier, coupled with five rounds of electric fishing, has removed 390 trout and 2 perch, safeguarding about 9 hectares of habitat for the endangered Central Otago roundhead galaxiid.
• Catchment-wide enhancements
  The project added 52 km of riparian fencing, increasing vegetation coverage and over 51,000 plants were planted across the catchment.
• Engaging the community
  Every one of the 18 farmers in the catchment participated, alongside lifestyle block owners and countless volunteers. Local schools, including Omakau Primary.School, took part in monitoring freshwater science over three years.
• Wildlife wins
  Within just two months, the wetland attracted over 1,000 black-billed gulls nesting, while sightings of marsh crake, pūkeko, stilts, and long-finned eels were recorded—nature's endorsement.

Watch the inspiring video below to see the brand-new access way and viewing platform that now links the Otago Central Rail Trail directly with the Thomsons Creek catchment—providing visitors with a tangible connection to the story of conservation in action:

Let’s celebrate this model of community-driven environmental restoration during Conservation Week. It shows that when people care enough to act—to plant, fence, monitor, and connect—nature responds, and our taonga species thrive.