Media Release
1 October 2011
Historic day for all guardians of the Waikato River
The Waikato River Authority, a collaboration between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui to restore the Waikato River, reaches
an historic milestone today when it opens for funding applications for the first time.
The Authority is able to distribute funds of up to $7 million a year for projects that will improve the health and
wellbeing of the river. In this first year of funding an allocation of up to $6 million will be made. The government has
committed $210 million over the next 30 years to ensure the Authority has the resources it needs to protect the Waikato
River from further degradation.
The Authority is seeking funding applications, both large and small, from organisations the length of the Waikato River
that have projects and initiatives they would like to implement for the betterment of the river.