Climate change projects receive funding boost

Rachel Keedwell, chair of Horizons Regional Council. Photo / Bevan Conley.

Four Whanganui projects will receive a share of $64,250 from Horizons Regional Council's The Pūtea Hapori Urupare Āhuarangi - Community Climate Response Fund.

The ECO School in Whanganui have been funded to run eight workshops and presentations and four family events covering a range of topics, including improved energy efficiency and increased climate resilience.

The project is a partnership between The ECO School & The Whanganui Learning Centre, and is set to be available free of charge to the Whanganui community.

The Learning Environment have been funded to run a one-week summer camp for 20 young people from the region at the Pīwakawaka farm in Papaiti, covering various climate-related topics such as climate leadership, mātauaranga Māori, community organising, carbon sequestration and regenerative food.

A project using time-lapsed videography to capture climate-induced change to Moutoa Island over two years also received funding.

This project, by Trustees of the Moutoa Island Māori Reservation and the Rānana Māori Committee, is part of a broader Deep South science challenge to help restore, revitalise and maintain Moutoa Island on the Whanganui River near Rānana Marae.

Whanganui Intermediate School Environmental Action Club will buy and plant 50 native and fruit trees around the school with its funding.

Horizons would not say how the $64,250 was divided among each recipient.

"There is such a diversity to the projects, yet they all have a climate response focus. Some projects are aimed at education, while others are focused on planting trees for shade and as a source of food," Horizons climate action co-ordinator Andrew Watt said.

Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell said the more Horizons could encourage communities to take action against climate change, the better the outcomes and wellbeing for all.

"We are excited to support these projects and look forward to the ongoing benefits the communities involved will be provided with."

Environment Network Manawatū's Manawatū Food Action Network (MFAN) Collective in Palmerston North also received funding, along with the Wildlife Foxton Trust.

The trust got $7000 to raise locally sourced spinifex seeds to be used at community planting days at Foxton Beach, expecting to grow over 2500 plants for replanting.

Secretary treasurer of the Wildlife Foxton Trust, Nola Fox, said spinifex is an important native grass which holds the dunes in place.

"The biodiversity at Foxton Beach is incredibly special. There are many rare plants that don't grow anywhere else in New Zealand, and we have to keep the dunes reasonably in place because they also protect the Foxton Beach community from the sea and the wind," Fox said.

She said normally spinifex would be grown by a commercial grower, but the seeds were hard to germinate, so they are going to grow some themselves for the dunes.

"You're lucky if you get one in every two seeds germinating. We've got 8000 seeds, but we're hoping for 3500."

The next round of applications for the Pūtea Hapori Urupare Āhuarangi – Community Climate Response Fund grants open in early 2023.