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and Horizons new team of policy staff, led by Greg Carlyon have gone all-out to try to engage with as many ordinary people as possible, with a road show of displays and interactive issue voting appearing in shopping centres from Pahiatua to Taumarunui, and intensive stakeholder consultation with drafts. It has been a very impressive effort. Meanwhile back in the office there are OnePlan drafts up to staff earholes. Release to the general public is likely around mid 2006. The plan has a few interesting proposals in it, including; • The Sustainable Land Use Initiative, our bid to government for help funding $85million of whole-farm plans and tree planting over the next 10 years. An article follows about the SLUI. • Grouping subcatchments into management zones according to common values, writing zone specific water quality standards, and preparing management plans for high priority zones. • Another interesting possibility is defining “highly erodible land” where consents will required to clear >1ha areas or excavate large volumes, unless the actions are undertaken in accordance with a whole farm plan. The mud is clearing on the recent restructure of the Environmental Management Group. Craig Mitchell remains the Group Manager, but the four Area Managers (Don Clark, Grant Cooper, Eric Dodd, and Ian Moore) are gone, replaced by; • Alistair Beveridge, Environmental Manager; Biodiversity and Water Quality, in charge of; o Clare Ridler, Environmental Coordinator Regional Water Quality, leading staff dealing with farmers in relation to riparian retirement and water quality o Aaron Madden, Environmental Coordinator Regional Biodiversity (leading staff dealing with farmers in relation to terrestrial biodiversity pests and retirement/restoration • Grant Cooper, Environmental Manager; Land, in charge of o Alan Kirk, Environmental Coordinator leading the Whanganui Catchment Strategy o Dave Harrison, Environmental Coordinator leading “Regional Land Initiatives” (gothic for soil conservation activity outside the Whanganui catchment) • Bill Martyn, Environmental Manager; Biosecurity and Response, in charge of o Animal Biosecurity (led by Eric Dodd), mainly possum control areas and rooks; o Plant Biosecurity (led by Don Clark), e.g. thistles, gorse; o and a new Regional Response Unit (led by George Robinson) comprising remnants of the Animal Pest Business Unit, doing pest control, flood response and other odd jobs. Obviously there is considerable overlap between some of these functions, meaning that staff will have to work together quite a lot. Last of all, a bit of members’ news, in no particular order: We have some new members Lucy Fergusson in Taumarunui and Verity Blair in Wanganui, both working on the Whanganui Catchment Strategy, Clare Ridler in Wanganui (water quality environmental coordinator) and Hilary Webb, in Marton, in the plant pest team. Ian Moore is now working as a consultant, and Aaron Madden won a prize for best native plant garden in Feilding – congratulations.