Waterlution Oceania

Why expand to New Zealand and Australia?

Australia has a well documented history of water issues. Solutions require a               complex multi-sector   response. Droughts, floods, increasing pressures, ecosystem loss and allocation arguments  feature in almost every state. More than ever, Aussies need to learn about how to sustain their  growing population within a context of shrinking water supplies and greater competition for the scarce resources.

New Zealand's water issues are different, but no less important to those faced in Australia.  Water quality concerns have never been greater and our clean, green image is being eroded by polluted waterways. In addition, in some areas we have changing water supply patterns providing us an opportunity to rethink how we allocated and use our water. Our urban centres are hot beds of growth and change and opportunities abound to redesign our developments and homes to be more efficient.

We don’t have inexhaustible water supplies and there are serious impacts if we continue to pollute the waterways we have.  We all know this.

Join our network by becoming a friend of Waterlution Oceania on facebook!

Why become a Waterlution Oceania Associate?

We know that solving water issues is complex, and takes action from all parts of society at all scales. But in order to get to excellent solutions we need to understand the spectrum of values in the community. Rather than fight about who is more important or who got where first, we need to collaborate on the balancing act that is sustainable water management. A facilitated residential retreat is a perfect setting for letting go of positions and learning from the inspiring, passionate people who come to a Waterlution workshop.  As a facilitator you will empower and create the space for this dialogue to happen.

Benefits to becoming a trained Waterlution Associate include:

• Leadership development and facilitation training
• Access to a global networks of professionals working in or around water
• Inter-generational learning and knowledge transfer
• Professional motivation

Waterlution community-based workshops use innovative facilitation techniques, personal reflection and experiential learning. By connecting stakeholders, generations, cultures and industries, Waterlution workshops create an engaging, fun, and safe space for the exploration of critical water management issues.

Meet Your Manager: Donna’s Story

Donna is the Manager of Waterlution Oceania, and host of the February 10-12 training workshop. Learn more about her background here.

"After my first Waterlution experience in 2007, I immediately felt part of a wider network of water professionals than what I had had in my government role in water policy.  I got excited about my work again. My professional ‘mojo’ was totally recharged, and I’d learned from the people I met that weekend. I could see the benefit of having an inter-sector dialogue about water representing a variety of perspectives, especially in the up-and-coming professional space. Already having had several years of water policy and planning experience I could see the benefit of having people connect in a friendly, informal and fun setting. I wanted to make it happen in NZ. Now, four years later it is becoming a reality.

In NZ, we have great opportunity for participation in plan and policy development. Yet we seem to leave our relationships too late and then we meet in an adversarial situation. It’s important in the small pond in which we all swim, to get along and understand that multiple perspectives can both strengthen and inform collaborative dialogue on solutions.  Governments are increasingly facilitating open processes, but then have to grapple themselves with a real divergence of opinion.

In New Zealand and Australia the need for an upswell of capacity dealing with our water issues has never been greater. Starting with and appealing to youth who are making career decisions and grappling with water in some way in their professional lives can really influence the solutions we find."