Hurunui Environmental Projects Receive Funding Boost

Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 8:09 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

Six North Canterbury environmental projects are set to receive a funding boost.

The Hurunui District Council gave its support to funding totalling $50,000 from Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) Hurunui-Waiau Uwha zone action plan budget, at a council meeting on Tuesday, May 27.

Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said she was impressed with the ‘‘grassroots regeneration activity’’ happening in the district.

‘‘I felt quite excited when I read the report,’’ she said

The funding is usually allocated by the local zone committee, but the Hurunui-Waiau Uwha Zone Committee was disbanded in 2019.

In the absence of a zone committee, ECan staff considered eight applications totalling $143,549 and sought feedback from the council and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura.

A weed control project on the Conway River, to stop the spread of purple willow (Salix purpurea) and false tamarisk (Myricaria germanica), has been allocated $9000.

The project will be led by Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura Ltd, the business arm of the rūnanga, which provides employment opportunities for local youth.

The Hurunui District Landcare Group applied for $50,000, but has been allocated $9605 to continue work implementing a catchment plan for Countess Stream, a subsidiary of the Waiau Uwha River.

Funding of $10,000 has been allocated to continue a project to fence off waterways and complete riparian planting at Mt Palm, a 1918ha hill country property in the Amuri Basin.

The Conway Landcare Biodiversity Group Nga Manu o Conway has been allocated $8625 to support ongoing work to protect native bush.

Northern Pegasus Bay (Hurunui) Coastcare Inc applied for $29,914 and has been allocated $10,870 to support the protection of wetlands at Ashworths Beach, and protect bird nesting areas in the lagoons / estuaries of the Kowai and Waipara rivers.

The remaining $1900 has been allocated to stage one of a $10,000 restoration project at Woolshed Creek.

ECan land management and biodiversity advisor Andrew Turnbull said staff will work with the two unsuccessful applicants to explore other funding options.

Those projects include the restoration of Moelean Swamp, in the Blythe River catchment, and efforts to protect the Spey Stream wetland.

The remaining zone committees, which were established under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS), are due to be disestablished next month.

The Canterbury Mayoral Forum, which brings together the region’s 10 mayors and ECan, is due to meet on Friday, May 30, to decide on the future leadership under the CWMS.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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