Amuri Irrigation Company

AIC is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 AIC Environmental Awards, celebrating the outstanding efforts of individuals and groups who are leading the way in water efficiency and environmental stewardship. Environmental Innovation Award This year’s winner is Geoff Bowron, whose commitment to managing his border dyke system at an exceptional standard while exploring innovative ways to irrigate without compromising on-farm biodiversity made him stand out amongst the nominees. Geoff’s dedication to exploring creative ways to stabilise river margins reflects his forward-thinking approach to sustainability. Environmental Leadership Award This year, the award goes to Stuart Neill, who has spent 20 years prioritising soil and water quality. Stuart’s pioneering efforts, such as removing tile drains, intensive planting, reducing stock numbers and creating nutrient-capturing ponds, have significantly improved biodiversity and water quality, removing 95% of nitrates on his farm. His willingness to share knowledge at catchment group meetings is greatly appreciated. Auditor’s Choice Award Selected by the independent Farm Environment Plan auditing team. The 2024 winner is Nigel Gardiner, a standout operator who exemplifies excellence through consistently high standards, exceptional information management, and innovative communication practices to mitigate environmental risks, demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainability. Most Accurate Water Ordering Award This award acknowledges the farm with the highest accuracy in matching water orders with actual usage during the 2023/2024 season. Congratulations to Aaron Bunt – Fenland, who demonstrated excellent water management practices. Collective Initiative Award The Countess Stream Catchment Group took home the award for their work fencing off wetlands, managing hill country erosion, extensive weed control and implementing water quality testing to track improvements. Members are actively researching and adopting new practices for wintering and erosion management, demonstrating their willingness to invest in the long-term health of their land and waterways. The award was accepted by the group’s Lead Farmer, Wally Jamieson. Collective Irrigation Efficiency Award Every member of the Mt Palm Catchment Group achieved over 90% irrigation efficiency for the 2023/2024 season, the only catchment group to do so. Congratulations to all the members. 📷 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵, 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘮 (𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘮), 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘚𝘵𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘯𝘵.

Our trial wetland project now has its own webpage where you can view monthly progress photos. We were pretty thrilled this week to not only record a chorus of boisterous frog song, but spot a tuna (freshwater eel) making themselves at home! 🐸 🔗https://lnkd.in/gCVV52Zy #biodiversity #wetlandrestoration #frogsong #ribbit #amuribasin

The current edition of Irrigation Leader magazine features our CEO Sara Black 👇 #amuribasin #irrigationleader #covergirl

AIC's Board and management team congratulate former Chairman Norm Williamson on his well-deserved recognition at the IrrigationNZ Awards on 6 November, where he received the Ron Cocks Award for Outstanding Leadership. This award highlights Norm’s significant contributions to the irrigation sector in New Zealand. We are incredibly proud of his achievements and the lasting impact of his leadership in the Amuri Basin. Read more about his work and impact here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gdfCWGT6 📸 Norm with Hon Nicola Grigg, MP, Associate Minister of Agriculture

Our Operations and Environmental teams were busy today planting 250 Carex plants adjacent to our Andar debris screens. These native grasses will eventually grow to about 1.5m tall and a metre wide. Not only will the Carex help suppress weeds and improve the soil structure, they’ll also create new habitat for our native birds and lizards. #biodiversity #amuribasin #teamworkmakesthedreamwork

We're pleased to share our 2024 Annual Report with you, highlighting the moments that defined our year. Click to view: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gHZWM74d or head over to the Company page of our website. #annualreport #futurefarming #amuribasin #yearinreview

We’re proud to announce that 88% of our farmers achieved 90% or more irrigation efficiency during the 2023/24 season, meeting or exceeding the agreed benchmarks. As the new season gets underway, irrigation efficiency remains a top priority for the Amuri Basin Future Farming Project. Over the past three weeks, our 13 farmer-led catchment groups came together to review their water usage and share practical tools and ideas for continued improvement. #futurefarming #responsiblewateruse #amuribasin

With the initial water testing results from the Delany wetland giving us plenty of optimism about its long-term impact, Mike and Dr Peter Brown headed out with Billy from Hurunui District Landcare Group last week, assessing soil suitability at four locations for future wetland projects. They were on the lookout for a peaty soil layer over a clay base - the perfect combination to slow drainage and keep water in the wetland long enough for effective treatment. All the sites showed great potential, and we’re keen to explore them further! #wetlandrestoration #amuribasin #healthywaterways #futurefarming

Great news - the first round of water sampling at our trial wetland site shows a substantial reduction in nitrate levels. High nitrate in, low nitrate out; our wetland is working wonders even in really cold conditions, when biological activity is much lower. We are really encouraged by this initial outcome - we'll be sampling each month to ensure scientifically robust results. The wetland isn’t fully inundated yet, so we'll be keeping an eye on how treatment activity changes with more water. #wetlandrestoration #amuribasin #pilotproject #everywetlandcounts #futurefarming

Applications are invited for the second and final round of AIC's Community Fund grants for 2024. We want to hear from clubs, groups or individuals doing great things within the Amuri Basin, so head over to https://lnkd.in/gxDkywzz to read our sponsorship policy and submit your online application before end-of-day, Friday 30 August. #notallsuperheroeswearcapes #aiccommunityfund #amuribasin