Our Land and Water

The Our Land and Water National Science Challenge aims to preserve the most fundamental treasures of our country - our land, water and associated ecosystems - while producing value from those same treasures.

As a challenge, this is the ultimate and every New Zealander, both alive today and yet to come, has a stake in the outcome.

A fundamental driver in the Challenge is the importance of Māori playing a more active role in the sustainable management and economic development of our land and water resources. This takes shape in a Vision Mātauranga strategy that is woven into the Challenge’s research programmes.

Our Land and Water envisages a future in which catchments contain mosaics of land uses that are more resilient, healthy and prosperous than they are today; a future where all New Zealanders can be proud of the state of our land and water and share economic, environmental, social and cultural value from them.

To reach that future will require ways of thinking and interacting with land and water that are fundamentally different from today. This transition needs to happen quickly, with industry and communities working together for change.