Whanganui District Council turns down funding request from Tarapuruhi Bushy Park sanctuary

Some tītitipounamu (riflemen) being released into the sanctuary in 2023. Photo / NZME

It is back to the funding drawing board for Whanganui’s Tarapuruhi Bushy Park sanctuary, after the district council rejected its request for an extra $5000.

The sanctuary received about $15,000 in council climate action funding last year, but asked for $20,000 in 2025/26.

At deliberations on the council’s annual plan, council chief executive David Langford said Bushy Park was “trying to have a second bite at the contestable fund cherry”.

“This has already been through the process and the decision has already been made,” he said.

“They can wait until the next funding round and put in another application.

“Appealing a funding decision already made, through the annual plan, isn’t really appropriate.”

Councillors voted unanimously against the extra $5000.

Sanctuary education co-ordinator Michaella Luxton said in May that her programme was booked up for the rest of the year, and more than 3500 students had completed it since the start of 2024.

She said more funding was needed, and she was trying her best to find it through grant applications.

In the meantime, Luxton was creating a programme with health and safety provided “so schools have the opportunity to bring themselves out [to Bushy Park] without me”.

The council’s contestable climate action fund is $50,000 a year, down from $100,000 in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Bushy Park received about $50,000 from the Horizons Regional Council for operations in 2024/25 (up from $21,000 in 2023/24), with the sanctuary manager’s salary paid by Forest & Bird NZ.

Keith Beautrais says cultural and artistic heritage is "richly supported" by the district council. Photo / NZME

Bushy Park trustee Keith Beautrais told the Chronicle he was “devastated” by the district council’s decision and, as a result, the sanctuary would not be able to host all the schools that wanted to participate in the education programme.

“It’s as important as learning about cultural and artistic heritage, which is richly supported by the council,” he said.

“We pour money into institutions which are very privileged, and one [Sarjeant Gallery] is more privileged than others.”

He said the sanctuary got far less than 1% of what the Sarjeant received each year, and that showed “a set of values that is out of touch”.

“We need to help young people reconnect with nature, to beat some of the depression and angst they are feeling.

“You can see it with the young people, parents and teachers who come out. They go away a lot happier.”

The rates requirement for the Sarjeant in 2025/26 is about $4.88 million.

Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said the climate action fund was “probably not big enough”.

“I’m sure they [Bushy Park] will be well considered [for the fund] going forward.”

Councillor Charlotte Melser said the annual plan was not the correct avenue for a decision on climate action funding.

“However, I really appreciate Bushy Park Trust coming in and highlighting the great work they are doing in the education space and the fantastic little planting army they are building.”

More than 4500 native plants were planted at the sanctuary last year, with the same amount planned for 2025.

Beautrais said he had pursued climate change action funding because that’s what the council had advised the sanctuary to do.

Ideally, the sanctuary would prefer a guaranteed annual grant, he said.

“By now, [the council] should have told us what the right track is.

“We were told to go to the community grants fund, which told us it was not within their criteria.

“Our climate action funding application was successful, but now that [entire fund] has been halved.”

Melser said the climate fund was “consistently oversubscribed” and there was a growing need for climate action in the region.

Later in deliberations, she put forward a motion to reinstate it to $100,000, but that was voted down 9 to 4.

Melser and councillors Peter Oskam, Kate Joblin and Josh Chandulal-Mackay voted in favour, with Mayor Andrew Tripe, Deputy Mayor Helen Craig and councillors Baker-Hogan, Rob Vinsen, Glenda Brown, Ross Fallen, Jenny Duncan, Michael Law and Charlie Anderson against.

Councillor Charlotte Melser's resolution to double the council's climate action funded was voted down 9-4. Photo / NZME

A motion from Law to remove climate action funding completely was also voted down by 9-4. Law, Tripe, Vinsen and Anderson were in favour.

This week, Luxton told the Chronicle there were about 600 students on the waiting list for the education programme, and an extra $5000 would mean at least 500 of them could attend.

“This is our community that wants this involvement,” she said.

“We want the council to say, ‘This is our local sanctuary and these are our kids who are engaging and learning and making a difference’, and to back it.

“It really isn’t a lot of money.”

Luxton’s role and programme costs $39,000 a year, and was covered in 2024/25 by the $15,000 council funding and Forest & Bird Whanganui.

Langford said the council’s climate adviser role was vacant because of a resignation, but it would be backfilled once necessary recruitment processes were completed.

He said council officers’ recommendation was to not increase the climate action funding.

“We have recently completed a piece of work looking at the council’s climate change emissions,” he said.

There was now a “roadmap for decarbonising our organisation”, with $100,000 in the 2025/26 annual plan to begin implementing it.

The council’s average rates increase for 2024/25 was 7.9%, but that has dropped to 2.2% for 2025/26.

Beautrais said he had attended multiple council annual plan and long-term plan hearings to request funding.

“I always get positive feedback, then nothing,” he said.

“Now, I understand there is no action behind the words when they say they care about young people connecting with nature.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.