DairyNZ’s The Vision is Clear: Let’s Improve our Waterways movement has received a positive response since it was launched in November last year. We’ve had some great feedback from members of the public and farmers. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have read our articles, viewed our videos and commented on social media. The conversation about water quality has really started in earnest.

The basis of The Vision is Clear is that taking a collective approach to looking after New Zealand’s waterways will add up to a greater positive change. That means everyone – urban, rural and in between – doing our bit.

When DairyNZ launched this movement, we focused on increasing New Zealanders’ awareness of the current state of our country’s rivers, lakes and beaches; showing what dairy farmers are doing to look after waterways; and encouraging all New Zealanders to follow the movement.

Since January, The Vision is Clear has aimed to get Kiwis actively involved. The campaign has shared hints and tips on how everyone can make a positive difference to New Zealand’s water quality.

World Water Day

To celebrate World Water Day on March 22, The Vision is Clear is launching ‘Pledge and Win’. This competition will ask Kiwis to think about something positive they can do for waterways, share their idea, and be in to win funding to make it possible.

To enter, people must post a photo of their pledge in action (for example, planting a tree) on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #thevisionisclear.

‘Pledge and Win’ will share ideas to get people thinking about how they can make a difference, such as joining an environmental volunteer group, planting trees, giving up disposable plastic or helping to restore a wetland. The movement aims to gather people together to share their ideas and bring those ideas to life.

Farmers share their stories

Farmers are sharing their stories too, with Dairy Environment Leaders creating one-minute videos on their farms to show their environmental efforts.

All farmers can play a part. Please take a photo, share a video, jump on social media, use the hashtag #thevisionisclear and show what you’ve done on your farm to look after your local waterways.

To see the farmer videos, visit dairynz.co.nz/the-vision-is-clear

This article was originally published in Inside Dairy March 2019