11 August 2010
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has allocated $7.62 million to Horizons Regional Council and Gisborne District Council for their hill country erosion control initiatives.
An independently chaired Panel that considered the applications was impressed with proposals from the successful recipients.“MAF is pleased to be funding these projects and supporting regional councils to work with farmers to protect erosion prone hill country and implement sustainable management practices,” says MAF’s Natural Resources Policy Director, Mike Jebson.
Horizons received the bulk of the funding, with $7,519,000 allocated over five years for the continuation of their Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI). The SLUI aims to protect 108,000 hectares of highly erodible hill country from erosion, as well as protecting the cities of Palmerston North and Wanganui from future flooding.
Gisborne District Council was allocated up to $102,500 over four years to promote soil conservation works to reduce erosion in the upper Waipaoa catchment which is placing the Poverty Bay flats and the city of Gisborne at increased risk of flooding.
The first two years of the project will focus on gaining support for an erosion control initiative which, if successful, will lead to a larger bid to the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Hill Country Erosion Fund (HCEF) to fund its implementation in two years time.
Mr Jebson says the HCEF is a principal component in MAF’s Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Hill Country Erosion Programme. “The Fund provides a great opportunity to support regional initiatives involving community groups and landowners to effectively address erosion and the associated problems of sedimentation and flooding.”
The SHCEF is an annual contestable fund of $2.2 million which was developed in response to concerns over the sustainability of hill country agriculture, the wider costs of storm events and the need to prepare for climate change.
Grants can be used for regional initiatives that:
- protect unstable or potentially unstable land;
- protect stream beds;
- support community catchment facilitation groups;
- plan or implement erosion protection programmes;
- educate owners of hill country;
- provide resources for protection programmes.
HCEF grants do not cover the full cost of a project. Regional councils and land owners are also expected to provide some financial support to the proposed project. Land owners’ support may include an “in-kind” contribution.
Grants cannot be used for projects that primarily focus on:
- purchasing land;
- commercial forestry;
- lower catchment infrastructure (roads, stop banks);
- water quality improvement;
- carbon sequestration;
- biodiversity;
- land management programmes covering less then 10 000 hectares;
- retrospective costs;
- activities more appropriately funded by other funds or organisations;
- local or central government fees or charges; and participation in statutory processes, litigation or resource inventory work.
Only regional and district councils may apply for grants from the fund. Land owners and community groups wishing to be involved need to approach their local council.
Sources: MAF media release, plus MAF website
