My Account
Landowners on the Kaipara Harbour have the chance to buy revegetation plants for half price this winter.
The plants are being made available by Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR), a group that is working to improve the health of the harbour by addressing run-off issues in the catchment.
Encouraging landowners to plant areas close to connecting waterways is one of the ways the group is trying to achieve this.
The KMP is a collaboration between Kaipara Uri, Auckland Council and Northland Regional Council, which has received a $300 million grant to deliver a 10-year programme.
KMR spokesman Ben Hope says anyone interested in taking up the offer will need to have at least a 20-hectare property, with an area of .25ha needing to be planted. This area should be within 15 metres of a waterbody that leads to the harbour.
It is estimated that it will take a minimum of 1500 stems to plant a quarter of a hectare.
KMP will provide funding of up to $40,000 in a year – that’s half of a $80,000 project.
Once an application has been lodged, a field officer will go over the land and discuss what the landowner has in mind. There are 22 accredited nurseries connected with the project, Hope says.
A three-year plan will be developed for each property
“The plan is important as other expenses connected to the planting such as fencing and labour costs aren’t covered by KMR, so the project may take several years to achieve.
“Lifestyle block owners may need to join up with their neighbours to reach the land size requirement but, ideally, with a single liaison person for the group, they too can take advantage of this offer.”
Dairy farmers will need to go through Fonterra.
The largest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere, the Kaipara Harbour has the last remaining sea grass meadows of any significant size, of any harbour on the North Island’s west coast. These meadows are found just south of the Hoteo River.
There are concerns that the meadows, along with shellfish beds, could eventually be smothered. This has already occurred in the north of the harbour with sediment from the Wairoa River.
The meadows are nurseries for the entire west coast snapper population along with trevally, parore, spotties, piper, pipefish and other species. They are also feeding grounds and give the young fish protection from predators.
While the Wairoa is by far the worst culprit, the Hoteo River also produces sediment, while the Kaipara River in the south has high silt levels for its size coming from Waitakere.
Funding form, go to www.kmr.org.nz/landowner-expression-of-interest
