Pōrangahau Catchment Group on track to secure $2.1m of the Freshwater Improvement Fund
Central Hawke’s Bay’s Pōrangahau Catchment Group is working towards securing $2.1 million of the Ministry for the Environment’s freshwater improvement funding, which supports the management of New Zealand’s lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater and wetlands.
This comes as part of Environment Minister, David Parker’s announcement this weekend of the successful projects set to receive grants through the Freshwater Improvement Fund.
The fund is part of Jobs for Nature, a $1.245 billion programme that manages funding across multiple government agencies to benefit the environment, people and the regions and is part of the Covid-19 recovery package.
Catchment Groups currently receiving funding from the Jobs for Nature programme include the Bay of Plenty, Rangitikei, Ellesmere area and across Otago.
The Pōrangahau Catchment Group was successful in progressing to the second stage of the funding process for their three-year project “Taurekaitai ki Te Paerahi” and is currently working to develop a community-wide project plan by early 2021 with the aim of securing up to $2.1m in funding over the three-year period.
The "Taurekaitai ki Te Paerahi" project will take a coordinated kotahitanga approach with landowners and the community to deliver improved water health and biodiversity outcomes for the Pōrangahau Catchment.
Taurekaitai (commonly known as the Pōrangahau River) in Central Hawke’s Bay has one of the highest rates of sediment contamination in New Zealand, impacting heavily on water and ecosystem health.
The project scope will include the development of a Catchment Management Plan; accelerating efforts to address soil erosion and the protection and revegetation of priority catchment waterways through a targeted riparian planting programme.
The project will also include workshops to promote industry best practices and planning sessions to prioritise on-farm actions for improving water health and biodiversity, including the Pōrangahau estuary and dune ecosystems.
Pōrangahau Catchment Group Chairperson Gretchen King said: "We are lucky enough to have an amazing community who are passionate about our little slice of paradise and the health of our catchment".
"We are looking forward to working with the Ministry for the Environment to secure the funding, so we can fast-track the journey we’ve begun."
The Pōrangahau Catchment Group will take a community and partner-based approach to the "Taurekaitai ki Te Paerahi" project and is working at pace to engage stakeholders and community in the months to come.
