"We are wanting to target marginal pasture that is difficult to farm and is prone to slipping.''
The NRC has announced hill country farmers may be eligible for a grant that covers roughly 75 per cent of the associated fencing costs.
Its water and land working party chairman, Justin Blaikie, said the council had set aside about $600,000 to help fence erosion-prone land over the next two years.
Blaikie, who represents the council's Hokianga-Kaikohe constituency, said depending on the size of the area, fencing costs could be considerable and a potential barrier to those considering retiring erosion-prone hill country.
Although a natural phenomenon, eroded sediment is Northland's single biggest natural pollutant. Research shows the Bay of Islands alone has lost an average of 500,000 tonnes a year for the past century.
"It makes good environmental and economic sense to remove erosion-prone hill country from being actively farmed to reduce potentially unnecessary erosion and either leave it to revegetate naturally or plant it out."
The council requires retired land to be fenced with a three-wire electric fence as a minimum.
For those keen to actively plant retired areas, the NRC also has grants available.
"Grants include native retirement planting, or native and exotic production with species suited to continuous cover harvesting and council will help prepare a planting plan with landowners as part of this service."
Blaikie said the size of the grant depends on a range of criteria including the size of the property, erosion severity and area of land to be retired.
One of those who has already taken advantage of the scheme is Glen Coulston of Mimiwhangata, who this year received $10,000, subsequently retiring about 12 hectares.
Coulston had allowed the retired land to naturally revegetate due to strong manuka regrowth and was helping the process by carrying out weed control.
He plans to retire more steep sections around his 83ha property.
He encourages those looking to retire erosion-prone land to take the opportunity council and MPI are providing.
"It's about protecting our soils from running off the hillsides into the harbours and protecting our water quality and kaimoana that suffer from the sedimentation.
"On this property we are looking towards 200-year selective native forestry, apiculture, carbon storage and harvesting of essential oils as options, while also retaining pastoralism and horticulture on the stable soil sites."
Ballinger said the NRC aims to fund innovative replanting projects that can become inspirations for other farmers.
"Pine has a place as it will grow anywhere, but there are some interesting possibilities with native plants like manuka and totara, which grow really well in Northland and the stock will not graze it.
"Other trees that are creating interest include eucalypts and redwoods, which are among the species that can be coppiced so the roots remain as a living mass and the tree will grow back again,'' he said.
Ballinger said sediment would eventually end up in the harbour and measures to stop erosion at the source would help water quality, "starting at the top of the cliff instead of being the ambulance at the bottom".
Farmers interested in the grants or advice on retiring land can contact NRC land management staff.
