The Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum chair Richard Thompson said the festival was a celebration of the actions collectively taken to improve the river. The forum was started in 2010 and the accord was signed the same year, with the vision “if the water is healthy, the land and the people are nourished”. “The rejuvenated Foxton River Loop Reserve is a perfect example of one such project,” he said. “In all, there are 104 tasks identified by the accord to help improve the mauri (essence) of the Manawatū River Catchment. “The Accord was originally signed August 2010 in Foxton, so it’s fitting we host the festival here, sharing a day of community celebration.”
Monday, 1 February 2021, 2:59 pm
The Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum has announced that
for the first time Te Oranga o te Awa – the Manawatū
River Improvement Festival, will be held in Foxton to
celebrate the reopening of the Foxton River Loop
Reserve.
The celebration will be held at the reserve
on Saturday 27 February from 10am-3pm. It will provide an
opportunity for the community to come together and mark the
rejuvenation of a key part of the River Loop, which silted
up after the upstream entrance of the Loop was accidentally
cut off from the Manawatū River about 80 years
ago.
Forum Chair Richard Thompson said the festival is