(copy from www.ecan.govt.nz)

Environment Canterbury received 36 entries for the Canterbury Resource Management Awards.
The entries represented the entire region and included a good mix across all categories.
They covered a wide range of resource management matters including waste reduction, energy and water conservation, heritage, environmental enhancement, chemical and plastic recycling, and the use of new technology.
Canterbury Resource Management Award Winners 2008

The Opuha Dam Water Management Project is the supreme winner of this year’s Canterbury Resource Management Awards, which were announced on 29 October 2008 in Christchurch.
The project which has been in operation for ten years has enabled significant areas of South Canterbury land to be irrigated and put into production and created the opportunity for power generation. Judges said the project contributes to the sustainable management of resources by taking water and using it in a way that enables people and communities to provide for their social and economic wellbeing. It is a good example of how individuals or private groups can successfully undertake large projects. The project is also the winner of the Commercial Industrial category.

Joint winners of the Individual Category are Colin Burrows for his involvement with the restoration of Quail Island and Tom and Jen McElrea for Washpen Falls at Windwhistle.
Dr Burrows has had a major role in initiating, planning, designing and implementing the ecological work on Quail Island. After ten years the programme of planting 25 hectares of the island in indigenous vegetation by volunteers is nearing completion.
Tom and Jen McElrea have preserved and enhanced 90 ha of native forest and area of unique geological interest on their farm at Windwhistle. The bush includes a significant area of southern rata, and there is extensive ongoing work to protect this stand from pests, wilding pines and other weeds. The McElreas charge a small visitor fee to cover the cost of track enhancements, ablution and recreation facilities, and to help control visitor numbers - more than 10,000 people have visited the unique area.

The Community Category winner is the Pahau River Enhancement Group at Culverden.
The group has improved water quality in the Pahau River by reducing levels of phosphorous and E.coli. It achieved this by double fencing to prevent stock access to waterways, redirecting border-dyke wipe-off water into detention ponds, and improving irrigation and effluent management. Efforts were supported by research and a number of workshops and field days. Judges said a significant aspect of the project is that it required action from a 16 or so large properties and the Amuri Irrigation Company.

Highly commended were The Otamahua/Quail Island Restoration Trust and Northern Pegasus Bay Coastal Management Plan Steering Committee, which also won the Landcare Research Special Award for Sustainable Management of Land Resources. The New Zealand Conservation Trust nest egg programme for three South Island Kiwi species received a Special Commendation.
Gunnar Lundaahl is the winner of the Professional / Institutional Category for his work on riparian projects in the Lake Ellesmere area.
Gunnar is a self-employed manager and consultant for native plantings along riparian areas. Judges said he has his own nursery with 30-35,000 eco-sourced native seedlings, where he laboriously pots-on specimens to ensure an exceptionally large and healthy root stock. Each season, Gunnar plants 10-12,000 seedlings and takes responsibility for both weed and pest management. Planting on the first property started about 18 years ago and Gunnar still returns to plant specimen trees (totara, matai, kahikatea) among the established trees. His passion for the environment and his hard-working professionalism in going the 'extra mile' is highly respected. He also gives away about a 1000 plants each season.

Winner of the Landcare Research Special Award for Sustainable Management of Land Resources is the Northern Pegasus Bay Coastal Management Plan Steering Committee for their outstanding commitment to their local communities in using participatory processes in developing the Northern Pegasus Bay Coastal Management Plan.
Judges said the group showed true commitment by persisting through 36 meetings (each averaging about 3 hours) over 20 months to get consensus outcomes across very diverse and often polarised stakeholder interest groups, several statutory authorities and several communities. “We know of no other project in New Zealand that has achieved what they have in producing this plan, and have no doubt that the group will continue their work in seeing the plan through the next stages’” judges said.

BioGenCool energy from dairy waste system is the winner of the EECA Special Award for Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Renewable Energy.
The project aims are the generation of energy using cow manure, greater energy self-sufficiency on-farm and conversion of cow manure to fertiliser. Judges said BioGenCool is a highly creative technology using a systems approach to take diary waste and convert it to useful on-farm resources.  The project is bringing together different technologies to create an integrated system within a dairy farm.

Bellfarm Electronics has won the NIWA Special Award for Innovative Approaches to the Sustainability of Canterbury's Water Resources.
Bell Farm Electronics has developed electronic remote monitoring systems for water supply irrigators. The purpose is to remotely manage the supply of water so that water is not wasted. The system been in use for ten years and is used by both private and public sector parties who can see the benefit of the system.

Winner of Te Mata o te Tuatara Te Rünanga o Ngäi Tahu Special Heritage Award is the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, which is a collaboration between Kaikoura District Council, the Department of Conservation and Te Runanga O Kaikoura. The judges said the project shows how well the three organisations have worked well together with the local community.

YHA Central City Christchurch is the winner of the Southern Region Sustainable Business Networks’ Canterbury Special Award for 2008. The judges commended the YHA hostel for their ongoing efforts and dedication to improving their sustainability across all eight areas of the Network’s annual ‘Get Sustainable Challenge’.

Bronte Davenport from Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru is the winner of The Environment Canterbury Resource Management Award for Schools. Bronte studied why more families were not using the walking school bus concept. She joined her brother on his walks to school to gather data on how well used the “bus” was and talked to parents about its benefits.

The Environment Canterbury Future Environmentalist is Holly Gardiner from Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti School in Christchurch. Among a host of environmental activities Holly is a founding member of her school’s environmental group, she represented her school at many environmental activities and contributes a column to her school newsletter called ‘Green space’ with sustainable messages for students and families.

The Environmental Awareness Award which is a partnership between Environment Canterbury and Tai Poutini Polytechnic Digger School has been awarded to Tom Sherson. Tom demonstrated an excellent practical understanding of environmental outcomes. He displayed an interest in applying environmental awareness skills to the job, and showed an understanding and respect for the consequences of not applying these skills.

This year’s Environment Canterbury Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism winner is Rebecca Macfie of The Listener for a feature on the proposed Central Canterbury Plains irrigation scheme. The judge said it was well-researched, well-written and even-handed. Readers would have been left with a clear understanding of the issues and the protagonists' views.