Taranaki projects gain Jobs for Nature funding

Date:  12 August 2021

Eight projects focus on pest control, riparian planting, stream heath and species restoration across Taranaki and providing a total of 116 full-time equivalent roles over a three-year program. Four projects – Taranaki Kiwi Trust, Tiaki te Mauri o Parininihi Trust, Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust and Te Kohanga Ahuru - are funded for a range of work to protect taonga species and align closely with the conservation focus of the Jobs for Nature initiative.

“Taranaki Kiwi Trust, Tiaki te Mauri o Parininihi Trust, Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust and Te Kohanga Ahuru have established strong records in species protection and world-class conservation and habitat management and programmes. It’s vital this work continues,” Kiri Allan says.

“These projects will upscale significant and ongoing conservation efforts in Taranaki, in particular protecting the habitats and populations of kiwi, pāteke, hihi and North Island kōkako.”

The people in the roles across three of these projects will receive training focusing on kiwi monitoring and handling, use of tracing equipment, safety in bush terrain – including using ATVs – as well as predator control, freshwater monitoring and vegetation plot establishment.

The Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust faces significant challenges due to the impact of COVID-19. Its Jobs for Nature funding ensures the trust’s significant conservation successes are not lost, including management of a pest-free sanctuary which is a focal point for species restoration, education and community engagement with nature, including threatened species.

The Tupu Rawa project will see the development of a phased and coherent programme of environmental restoration for waterways and wetlands. The project will focus on work to ensure taonga species survive, and will include fencing, riparian planting and related biodiversity work.

Several of the projects will incorporate Mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori approaches to environmental protection and enhancement, coupled with conventional conservation science methodology.

Summary of funded projects announced today

• Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust, a community-led conservation project in central Taranaki, receives a $480,000 investment aimed at protecting the roles of staff employed by the trust. The funding will ensure ongoing specialist species management and pest-free sanctuary management skills, plus the operational management of the sanctuary’s biodiversity and biosecurity programmes.
• Taranaki Kiwi Trust, Tiaki te Mauri o Parininihi Trust, and Te Kohanga Ahuru each receives $480,000 each to forge ahead with a range of work to protect taonga species such as kiwi and kokako. The three projects will focus on kiwi monitoring and handling expertise and upskilling for people recruited, as well as predator control, delivering kiwi aversion training to dog owners and their animals, vegetation plot establishment and preparation of habitats in anticipation of kiwi translocations. The predator and pest control work stemming from these projects will cover nearly 20,000 hectares.
• A collaboration between Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust, Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū and Tui Ora Limited which aims to restore ecological corridors of Waiwhakaiho River from Taranaki Mounga to the sea through planting, weed control, fencing and pest eradication to increase the habitat for taonga species and improve migratory fish flow. The project receives $927,000 from the Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature fund and $400,000 from Project Crimson.
• The Tupu Rawa project receives $1.2M in funding for a project to restore and enhance the biodiversity and cultural values across waterways, stream tributaries and wetlands throughout the Taranaki Region. It will be delivered by Parininihi ki Waitotara Incorporated and will build on work the organisation already has underway across 3300 hectares of land adjacent to waterways.
• Ngaa Rauru’s Kiitahi Nursery is focussing on propagation of eco-sourced native plants supplied across the Taranaki and Manawatu regions. It has received $1.44M in funding to support the creation of several roles to expand the operation and its capability including a catchment restoration approach to the Waitotara Valley catchment and land management team.
• Taranaki Mounga Project and Ngaa Ruahine receive $720,0000 to expand predator control work alongside waterways on the southern slopes of Taranaki Maunga. Extended mustelid control in the area will support the recovery of the whio population and also protect habitat for planned releases of western brown kiwi.

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