16 November 2017

$7.4 million to protect Gisborne land from erosion

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is providing funding for the treatment of 4,893 hectares of erodible land in the Gisborne district.

The funding for this comes from the Ministry’s Erosion Control Funding Programme (ECFP) which helps Gisborne landowners and community groups improve the worst eroding, or erosion prone land in the district.

“We need to address Gisborne’s erosion prone land now to ensure the land remains productive and sustainable for future generations,” says Ben Dalton, Ministry for Primary Industries Deputy Director-General, Sector Partnerships and Programmes. “Severe erosion causes long-term damage to land productivity, infrastructure, water quality and rural businesses and communities.

“For the region to grow, we need to protect our natural resources. Gisborne has great potential for further primary sector economic growth but in many cases erosion adversely affects productivity.

“Our erosion control funding provides landowners with effective ways to control erosion through tree planting and the retirement of land to regenerate native bush. The recently approved applications mean up to $7.4 million will be provided to Gisborne-district landowners for erosion control work. Land quality and productivity can be improved so it can be handed onto the next generation in as good, or better condition than it was received.

“We’ve provided $49 million to Gisborne in erosion control treatment funding since 1992 and we’ve treated 42,000 hectares of highly erodible Gisborne land.”

MPI’s Erosion Control Funding Programme works in partnership with Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou (TRONPnui) and Gisborne District Council on a number of erosion related initiatives.

The Ministry also runs a number of programmes to encourage landowners across the country to plant on erodible land. Along with the Erosion Control Funding Programme, these include the Afforestation Grant Scheme and Sustainable Land Management Hill Country Erosion Fund.

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