$27.8m available in next four-year round of the Hill Country Erosion Programme

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick is encouraging the district council and Tairāwhiti landowners to apply in the latest round of funding (nearly $28 million) through the Hill Country Erosion Programme. Photo / Liam Clayton

The announcement of nearly $28 million in Government new funding for hill country erosion control is “particularly significant” for Tairāwhiti, says East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has opened applications for the next round of the Hill Country Erosion Programme (HCEP) – a $27.8m commitment for projects to be delivered between 2027 and 2031.

The programme is aimed at supporting councils around New Zealand to reduce erosion, protect soil health and limit the downstream impacts of severe weather.

In a press release, Kirkpatrick said it represented a vital investment in the long-term resilience of Tairāwhiti’s land, communities and rural economy.

Kirkpatrick said the announcement was “particularly significant” for Gisborne and the wider Tairāwhiti region, “which faced some of the highest erosion risk in the country”.

“Tairāwhiti has lived through the consequences of severe weather, sediment loss and land instability,” Kirkpatrick said.

“This funding ensures our region continues receiving the tools, expertise and targeted support needed to stabilise vulnerable landscapes, strengthen rural infrastructure and protect productive farmland for future generations.”

Since its establishment in 2007, the HCEP has been “a cornerstone of regional land management”.

Its current four-year investment (2023-2027) contributed $25.2m nationally, alongside $87m in co-funding from councils and landowners.

As part of the national HCEP programme – which spans 14 regional councils in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries and local landowners – Gisborne District Council’s 2023-2027 contract focuses on building regional capability and delivering targeted erosion control, supported by a $900,000 grant to reduce soil and sediment loss across Tairāwhiti.

Key initiatives featured in GDC’s HCEP contract include:

• 60 farm-scale erosion control plans.

• 80ha of treatment on coastal hill country sites.

• Three coastal community nurseries to support erosion-mitigating planting.

• Strengthened council land management capacity to work with catchments and landowners.

Kirkpatrick said the new national funding round would help ensure this work continued and expanded beyond 2027.

“Our region relies on healthy soils, thriving rural communities and a landscape resilient to storms. Continued investment in erosion control is one of the strongest ways we can safeguard those foundations.”

She encouraged the council and local landowners to take full advantage of the upcoming application window.

“This funding is an opportunity for us to keep building momentum and deliver practical, long-term solutions for our most erosion-prone areas.”

Applications for the 2027-2031 HCEP funding round are open to councils nationwide.