Catchment Catch-Ups with Mark Chrystall from Rangitikei Rivers Catchment Collective
In this fifth episode of RaboTalk’s Growing Our Future Catchment Catch-Up series, host Blake Holgate speaks with Mark Chrystall, a northern Rangitikei sheep and beef farmer and founding member and current Vice Chairman of the Rangitikei Rivers Catchment Collective (RRCC). Mark shares how the collective formed in 2017 to tackle localised riverbank feed-lotting issues and evolved into an expansive, data-driven entity. Today, the RRCC coordinates 125 monthly water testing sites and manages projects spanning sub-catchments across the Rangitīkei, Turakina, and Whangaehu rivers.
The conversation explores how catchment collectives can build regional trust, transition from raw water testing to advanced ecological indices, and address emerging environmental challenges. Mark highlights how spatial mapping, collaborative university research, and unified pest control projects help hill-country farmers take ownership of their landscapes, protect local freshwater quality, and build resilient rural communities.
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