Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Covid 19 coronavirus: Govt projects target Northland, Hawke's Bay jobs

RNZ
10 May, 2020 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Wilding pines spread near Lake Pukaki. A key focus of the projects will be removing invasive wilding pine trees, which are a major threat to farmland, waterways and ecosystems. Photo / MPI

Wilding pines spread near Lake Pukaki. A key focus of the projects will be removing invasive wilding pine trees, which are a major threat to farmland, waterways and ecosystems. Photo / MPI

By RNZ

The government has pushed forward 55 biosecurity and conservation projects to provide work for up to 160 people who've lost their jobs during the lockdown.

The projects in Northland, East Coast, Hawke's Bay and Canterbury are part of the $100 million redeployment package announced in March.

A key focus will be removing invasive wilding pine trees, which are a major threat to farmland, waterways and ecosystems.

About $3 million has been allocated for the projects.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Biosecurity Minister Damien O'Connor said it was work that needed to be done and accelerating the projects actually saved money as the cost of removing wilding pines rose by 30 percent each year.

"Forestry workers were among the first to feel the economic impact of Covid-19. Their skills translate well to what's needed for wilding pine pest management, ranging from pulling young trees by hand, skilled chainsaw operation, to operating heavy machinery."

Federated Farmers environment spokesperson Chris Allen said it needs $25 million per year for the next four years to get wilding pine trees under control.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The wilding pine problem that we've got at the moment, every year we leave it, that's billions more seeds that are getting blown into the ground and the problem is just spreading.

"Our future generations will thank us for the more that we can spend now the faster we can get it under control."

The Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage, was pleased there were also plans to redeploy workers into new conservation jobs.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

Discover more

Northlander shocks literary set by making final of NZ's top fiction award

11 May 07:00 PM

"The new jobs are in track maintenance, planting, and pest and weed control, to give native plants, birds, and wildlife a chance to thrive.

"The government is committed to looking after people, their jobs and the land, waterways, and oceans we depend on. This is an initial set of projects. DOC is working with councils, iwi and community organisations to identify opportunities to ramp up conservation jobs to help communities recover from Covid-19 while giving nature a helping hand.

"Redeployment brings the opportunity to develop new skills, and with on-the-job training, online certifications can be earned relatively quickly. Retraining will be a key part of the country's economic recovery."

Opportunities for similar projects existed in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Central North Island, the government said.

Projects were also being scouted in Marlborough, Otago and Canterbury, to give the greatest amount of workers the chance to work close to home.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales
Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

More than 170 customers south of Cape Rēinga are still without power.

17 Jul 08:26 AM
'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi
Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

17 Jul 06:02 AM
Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

17 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP