Te Mata Park Trust has received $600,000 from Te Uru Rākau's One Billion Trees programme to help plant 12ha of new plants and trees. Photo / NZME
Te Mata Park Trust has received $600,000 from Te Uru Rākau's One Billion Trees programme to help plant 12ha of new plants and trees. Photo / NZME
Hawke's Bay tree planting efforts have gotten a big boost with close to $2 million funding from the One Billion Trees programme.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council received the lions share, close to $1m, to boost its existing native species planting programmes, including the programmes of partnering organisations, NZ LandcareTrust and Hastings District Council.
Catchments adviser biodiversity Hetty McLennan said it was a "huge win" for the region and would help get more plants into the ground across 166 hectares of land.
"This is massive for Hawke's Bay, and boosts the work we're doing in this space to help water quality, enhance biodiversity, and stabilise our hills while sucking up some carbon.
"We will be working in partnership with local authorities, Landcare Trust and QEII alongside community groups in delivering this programme."
Te Uru Rākau director of forest development, grants and partnerships Alex Wilson said the funding would support biodiversity, erosion control and carbon sequestration efforts in Hawke's Bay.
"Planting blocks of trees can improve land and water quality, help reduce carbon, and bring economic benefits for local communities."
Te Uru Rākau also granted $600,000 of funding to the Te Mata Park Trust Board to help plant 12ha of new plants and trees.
"Mana Whenua are engaged in relation to sites of archaeological significance and a Rōngoa garden has been established and will continue to be developed in conjunction with local iwi," Wilson said.
Around 59,000 native eco-sourced seedlings will be planted over a three-year period, resulting in an extension of the park's existing bird corridor linking Cape Kidnappers and Havelock North.
The project will also provide seasonal employment to the local community and include the help of many keen volunteers over its duration.
The funding boost will help expand Te Mata Park's existing bird corridor linking Cape Kidnappers and Havelock North. Photo / Supplied
Trust chairman Mike Devonshire said the support would form the backbone of its project, ensuring marked improvements in native biodiversity and birdlife habitats.
"As Te Mata Park is protected under a QEII covenant, the restoration of this land will be enjoyed by thousands of park users, in perpetuity.
"We are very grateful for the support we have received for this ambitious project."
Ocean Beach Sanctuary located on the Cape Kidnappers Peninsula also received $160,000 to help increase its seedling production by expanding its nursery and employing a nursery co-ordinator to ramp up production.
Demand for seedlings had outstripped existing production and it is hoped the nursery expansions will produce an additional 110,000 seedlings over a three-year period.
Rachel Ward, Cape Sanctuary's general manager, said the ongoing revegetation of retired farmland on the Ocean Beach side of the sanctuary increased biodiversity, creating important habitat for endangered fauna, and was changing the microclimate in the area.
"Our growing populations of endangered species (such as little spotted kiwi and Hawke's Bay speckled skink) constantly require new areas of habitat."
She said the funding would "significantly speed" up their revegetation process.
