How sharing stories of river restoration can inspire others to care about waterways

Water is the lifeblood of our planet. But in Aotearoa, New Zealand, a whopping two-thirds of the rivers whose water quality is monitored are considered inaccessible. Only 2% of large lakes are considered “good health.”

Unfortunately, this decline is due to the human impacts of urbanization, intensive agriculture and poor land management. Many communities that rely on freshwater sources have witnessed this deterioration firsthand.

To address this critical issue, numerous catchment management groups have emerged over the last decade, advocating for sustainable land management to improve the health of New Zealand’s rivers, lakes, aquifers and wetlands.

These groups engage in activities such as planting native vegetation along waterways, erecting fences to keep livestock out, and changing agricultural practices to make them more environmentally friendly. Many people care deeply about land and water, and their complex, collective knowledge is a powerful force for change.

Collective storytelling as a tool for freshwater restoration

Over the past few years, we have been listening to these communities and looking for a tool that could amplify their efforts and empower those who have not yet begun restoring their rivers. It is a simple and ancient tool, deeply rooted in human history and now embedded in our social identity: collective storytelling by trusted storytellers.

Rural communities, including food producers, identify with trusted colleagues. When they share their experiences, others can learn from them. We have seen that this kind of trust motivates people to commit to waterway maintenance for the benefit of future generations. It is independent of changing governments and policies and grows stronger when passionate people come together, united by their shared sense of place.

Our research has highlighted the lack of collective storytelling in national efforts to restore freshwater reservoirs and provided a path to develop this at scale.

To this end, we have worked with environmental reporting platform Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Communities can now share their restoration knowledge as “Actions for Healthy Waterways” in the form of stories. Beyond simply reporting facts and figures, stories provide more meaningful narratives that others committed to healthy waterways can relate to.

We interviewed 23 land managers and met with five catchment management groups across Aotearoa, New Zealand. We talked about why knowledge sharing is important, how knowledge should be shared, and who is best suited to be a knowledge broker.

Based on these conversations, we highlight three guiding principles of collective storytelling that can promote the restoration of rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers.

1. Respected storytellers

Trust is crucial. It influences who is believed and who inspires action. When like-minded people share their experiences, especially farmers discussing restoration efforts, collective responsibility emerges and drives others to participate.

One food manufacturer summed up this sentiment, noting:

When you start creating that collective responsibility, you can say, “Oh yeah, you put in a hundred (trees) – we’ll do a hundred too.”

Catchment champions – locally respected people who drive restoration activities and encourage others – are immensely important in spreading these stories. We have found that authentic storytellers can be individuals or an entire catchment group as long as they are trusted.

In the New Zealand context we would say they had the mana (authority, prestige, status, charisma). One participant shared:

I’m a newbie and have learned what went well and what works. I don’t want to make someone else’s mistake, I can’t afford that anyway. So if I say, “Oh, that works well,” I will do that.

2. Authenticity in storytelling

The content of stories is just as important as the tellers. It has to be real and honest.

Catchment care groups emphasized that recovery stories must include both failures and successes. Celebrating successes, such as the return of a fish species, while acknowledging challenges such as vegetation dieback creates a more authentic narrative. This unconditional storytelling promotes connection through shared experiences.

One participant emphasized:

It’s important to share what we know about land management and restoration: the things that worked and the things that didn’t work.

3. Motivate future generations to take action

The motivation behind restoration efforts is a crucial aspect of knowledge sharing.

Our research shows that rural communities expressed a deep sense of responsibility for action sparked by concern for future generations.

Farmers often expressed a desire to leave rivers in better condition for their children and grandchildren, saying:

We recognize that we are just passing through and that everything we do now should have a lasting impact on our children.

This intergenerational perspective encourages a long-term commitment to recovery. While our study participants were Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent), this view fits well with Kaitiakitanga, the integral Māori principle of environmental conservation. It illustrates a shared deep sense of responsibility for future generations.

Given that repairing damage to freshwater systems will require sustained efforts over time, collaborative storytelling that highlights intergenerational goals helps foster patience and resilience within communities. It may also avoid disappointment if improvements do not appear as quickly as hoped.

We advocate for greater integration of collective storytelling as a valuable strategic tool for restoring the health of waterways worldwide. At the same time, we emphasize that restoration is only part of improving freshwater health.

Significant changes to land use are also needed in New Zealand and elsewhere to prevent further deterioration. Authentic, local and collective storytelling can support both land use transition and restoration.