Riperian planting in the Maharakeke and Porangahau catchment.
Riperian planting in the Maharakeke and Porangahau catchment.
Tukituki Land Care (TLC), a recently-established farmer-led catchment collective, has opened applications for its inaugural $10,000 Demonstration Grants.
Each sub-catchment group of the Tukituki River is invited to apply for a grant for a project which has demonstration value, meaning that it provides an opportunity to gain knowledge that canbe replicated in other sub-catchment areas.
“The TLC team is excited to launch this grant programme, which will provide sub-catchment groups with an opportunity to try something new”, said Richard Hilson, chair of Tukituki Land Care. “The grants are open to a wide range of initiatives and we hope it leads to some innovative solutions”.
As well as offering demonstration value, the successful projects will be cost-effective and will be completed within seven months of receiving funding approval. Once completed, knowledge-sharing with other catchments will be a priority and this may include open days for other landowners to view and learn from the projects.
“We emphasize the importance of transparency, ensuring that both successes and failures are openly reported, allowing for valuable insights to be gained and shared across the region”, says Hilson.
Tukituki Land Care was launched in May to work with sub-catchment groups of the Tukituki River, enabling funding and action to benefit the region. TLC will work with 17 sub-catchments in Central Hawke’s Bay, covering 216,000 ha of private land, made up of nearly 1000 farms surrounding Waipukurau, Waipawa, Takapau, Ongaonga, Tikokino, Otane, Elsthorpe, Omakere and Ashley Clinton.
Nine of the 17 sub-catchments of the Tukituki River have established catchment committees. To find out more about these committees or to discuss setting up your own committee please visit www.tukitukilandcare.org or email tukicoordinator@gmail.com.
Grant applications close on August 14 and outcomes will be advised by August 28.
