The Honorable Kiri Allan
Minister of Conservation
Minita mō Te Papa Atawhai
An increase in funding for a number of Jobs for Nature initiatives in Canterbury will provide sustainable employment opportunities to more than 70 people, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan said.
“The six projects are diverse, ranging from establishing coastal trapping at Kaikōura, establishing a native plant nursery, restoring plantations in Lyttelton Harbor and increasing the pest control in Banks Peninsula and Christchurch.
“An investment of over $ 12.64 million will provide workers with valuable practical experience and be a stepping stone to longer-term careers in conservation,” said Kiri Allan.
“In addition to contributing to the region’s economy after COVID, this work is vitally important in our efforts to reverse the damage to our unique environment and achieve the goals set out in Aotearoa’s biodiversity strategy in Nova Scotia. -Zeeland.
“Each of us has a role to play in the protection, preservation and restoration of our natural heritage, and each of these projects contributes in its own way to opening up new recreational and educational opportunities throughout the region.
“It will be exciting to see the lasting impact this work will have for years to come,” said Kiri Allan.
Various groups lead the projects, including the local rūnanga, community groups and the local government.
Summary of projects:
Whakaraupō – He Rau Ringa e Oti ai (the Helping Hands program)
Led by Te Hapū o Ngāti, Wheke received $ 4.5 million to employ 20 people over the next three years to restore their ancestral Whakaraupō / Lyttelton port.
“This is a fantastic example of a collaborative partnership led by mana whenua and guided by the Maori tikanga and kaupapa values,” said Kiri Allan.
Two dedicated field teams managed by program partners Conservation Volunteers NZ and Living Springs Trust will work to restore three main sites through planting and control of predators, pests and weeds.
“Everyone involved will benefit from the knowledge exchange. Program partners will pass on their ecological expertise to mana whenua and field teams while field teams and program partners will learn about mana whenua mātauranga Māori, ”Kiri Allan said.
Helping Hands is part of the Whaka Ora Healthy Harbor catchment plan and partnership, a multi-partner initiative to restore mahinga kai values in Whakaraupō.
“The ecological and cultural restoration of Whakaraupō as a mahinga kai is essential for ensuring healthy, abundant, interconnected and sustainable lives, waterways and communities. “
Te Rākau Kōhanga
The $ 2.7 million Te Rākau Kōhanga project will establish a nursery at Arowhenua Marae near Temuka that will employ 15 people and provide training and skills to growing indigenous people.
The nursery will cultivate around 180,000 native eco-sourced plants over three years.
“With many restoration projects underway across the country, we know that there is a huge demand for well-cultivated native plants, so this project will equip those employed with the skills, skills and career paths that are in demand. rewarding.
“The nursery will be a sustainable business that will continue after the funding period ends, meaning more jobs for the people of South Canterbury and strong support for regional environmental projects,” said Kiri Allan.
Some of the plants will be used by the $ 16 million Jobs For Nature projects that aim to restore the nearby Rangitata River, a braided river that has significant cultural and conservation values.
Te Tau Wairehu o Marokura
The Te Tau Wairehu o Marokura predator control project will employ up to 13 people for three years in an area affected by the slowdown in international tourism due to COVID-19. This will help the whānau to stay in Kaikōura and stay connected to their tūrangawaewae.
Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura will receive $ 2.1 million to establish and maintain a trapline to protect native birds from predators along 127 kilometers of coastline between the Awatere River in Marlborough and the Oaro River in North Canterbury.
The trapline will protect endangered native species including black-fronted terns, white-fronted turtles, Caspian terns, South Island oystercatchers, banded deer and other native wildlife. More intensive trapping networks will be established around native wildlife hotspots.
Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura / Ngāti Kuri is partnering on this project with Kaikōura, Marlborough and Hurunui District Councils, Environment Canterbury and the Department of Conservation as the Ngāti Kurī Takiwā Collective.
Te Makuru
This is a training program for the whānau of five local rūnanga to raise native plants. He will employ six people for 18 months at DOC’s nursery in Motukarara, near Te Waihora / Ellesmere Lake.
Taumutu Rūnanaga will receive $ 710,000 on behalf of five rūnanga (Wairewa Rūnanga, Onuku Rūnanga, Te Taumutu Rūnanga, Te Hapu o Ngāti Wheke and Te Rūnanga o Koukourata).
The project aims to give workers a hands-on experience that can be shared with whanau and to encourage them to run community native plant nurseries for their hāpu.
Te Ara Kākāriki Kaimahi Greenway Project
Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway Canterbury Trust will receive $ 953,000 to develop a green corridor through Selwyn. This includes the restoration of two major historic sites in the Te Waihora watershed that will also benefit from predator and weed control.
“The project is expected to employ four people for three years and will result in the planting of over 50,000 eco-sourced native trees. The seedlings will include beeches, totaras and matai which will one day become pockets of low forest, ”said Kiri Allan.
Te Ara Kākāriki has worked to restore native biodiversity to Selwyn for 15 years, planting more than 120,000 native plants at 104 sites to create a corridor of “green spots,” or pockets, of native habitat. These provide habitat and stepping stones for native birds, lizards, and insects. The project is supported by Te Taumutu Rūnanga, Environment Canterbury and Selwyn District Council.
Pest control Ōtautahi and Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū
Christchurch City Council to receive $ 1.575 million for pest and weed control work in parks, mahinga kai sites and wetlands in Otautahi / Christchurch, Te Pataka o Rakaihautu / Banks Peninsula and Port Hills .
The project will employ 10 people for three years. The Council intends to integrate unemployed people into the labor market and to offer internships to those who wish to gain experience and skills in pest control. They will be offered training to prepare them for a career in conservation.
