Stratford's Sian Horton recognised as a national Environment Champion

Stratford District Council's Environmental Health and Trade Waste Officer, Sian Horton, has been recognised by her peers from around the country, receiving the Environment Champion Award from the New Zealand Trade and Industrial Waters Forum (NZTIWF).

The forum brings together councils, regulators, service providers, and industry from across Aotearoa to work on how trade and industrial wastewater is managed, with the aim of protecting infrastructure, waterways and public health. Trade waste is the liquid that businesses such as cafés, garages and food producers send down the drain, and managing it well keeps our wastewater treatment plant working properly and protects the local waterways it flows into.

Stratford's wastewater is treated in ponds east of town, where the work is done by living things, and the wrong thing going down a drain, like strong chemicals from an industrial clean down, can kill them off for weeks, which is why Sian's job is mostly about what does not reach the ponds in the first place.

Sian was nominated for her steady commitment to the forum and the people in it. She has been at every meeting and conference, she is a regular at the Taranaki water officers catch up, and when someone posts a question in the forum, she is often one of the first to help. That generosity with her time and knowledge has made her a trusted contact for officers at councils well beyond Stratford.

"It is a nice surprise, though the forum is really the thing worth talking about. Trade waste is a small team job at most councils, often one or two people, so having a national group where you can ask a question and get a straight answer from someone who has already solved it is genuinely valuable. Stratford benefits from that every time I pick up a question from the forum," says Sian.

Back home, Sian's week can take her from a food premises inspection to an alcohol licensing matter, out to the ponds for sampling, and into the Assets team to help with Before You Dig requests, Transfer Station admin, backflow prevention education or tracking down a water leak.

"Sian covers an enormous amount of ground for a district our size, from food premises and alcohol licensing through to trade waste monitoring and our wastewater consent compliance. What sets her apart is that she does not just do her own job well, she puts the time into the national forum and the regional catch ups, and that brings knowledge back into this council" says Stratford District Council Director of Assets Victoria Araba.

Congratulations Sian, this is a well-earned recognition of the work you do for our district and the wider region.