Forest restoration funding in question

Around 70 percent of Gisborne’s annual water supply is drawn from three dams in Waingake . Work is being undertaken in the area to return the whenua to native vegetation so that the pipeline will be protected. Picture by Liam Clayton

Ongoing plant and animal control work at Waingake hangs in the balance as Gisborne District Council waits to hear if government funding will be renewed.

Under an initiative called Jobs For Nature, the council received $2 million in July 2021 to create dozens of positions for indigenous forest restoration work in the area.

The land in question was purchased by the council in 1991 from Maraetaha Incorporated, and was subsequently turned into plantation pine forest.

As harvesting progresses, the council plans to return 71 percent of the forest to native vegetation — a strategic move to protect the city’s main water pipeline which draws on dams in the area.

But a council report prepared for Thursday’s operations committee meeting said there had been no clear decision on whether Jobs for Nature funding would extend beyond its June 2024 expiry, despite requests being made for all projects in the region to continue.

“This raises a risk that council and Maraetaha Incorporation will lose the substantial pest plant and animal control gains made as a result of this funding,” the report read.

“We are currently considering options for the continuation of this work and how it can be funded.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Māori ward councillor Ani Pahuru-Huriwai raised concerns over what would happen if money could not be secured to continue the work and asked if council staff could elevate the issue with government.

“It would seem a huge shame for all that work to be for nothing if we can’t continue,” Pahuru-Huriwai said.

In response, chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said it would be worthwhile for the council to prepare a list of issues facing the region for the incoming government in light of the upcoming election.

Project manager Waingake transformation Amy England also spoke to the importance of the work that was being undertaken in Waingake in light of recent weather events.

During Cyclone Gabrielle, nine of a total 21 bridges carrying the water pipeline were damaged by woody debris and loose logs, plunging the city into a water crisis.

It took 84 days for all water restrictions to be lifted.

Ms England said forestry still counted as public infrastructure, even though it wasn’t as obvious as other works, such as stopbanks.

“It’s protecting our water supply. We have seen how vulnerable that is in recent times,” she said.

The council report also provided an update on recent work in Waingake, saying operational activities had returned to normal following interruptions from severe weather.

Planting was well under way this season with 115 hectares of manuka and 85 hectares of enrichment planting set to be completed this year.

Slips from severe weather had caused plant losses, and those areas would not be replanted due to safety risks.

This month, the council was planting native seeds on slip faces by drone.

The council had completed a significant amount of wilding pine control in 2022 and the Waingake Ngahere Ora team had made excellent progress with weed control, the report said.

Work to improve available information on the area was also on the cards.

The Waingake-Pamoa Joint Steering Group — set up last year following a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the council and Maraetaha Incorporation — was working towards developing a recorded history of the whenua.

This included a place name review as well as developing a master plan (or similar) for Waingake.

It is unclear how many jobs were created in Waingake as a result of Jobs for Nature, with the Department of Conservation announcing 40, and former conservation minister Kiritapu Allan saying 33.

The funding was granted for the purpose of weed and predator control as well as site monitoring.