New Zealand’s Minister of Conservation, Kiri Allan, has identified numerous crucial restoration projects that are to be employed in the Manawatu over the next two to three years, through a Jobs for Nature funding investment of $7.2 million. Five projects have been outlined:
- Muaūpoko Ki Uta Ki Tai
(Team of 19, two-year span) - Whakahaumaru Te Whenua
(Team of 12, two-year span) - Rangitāne o Manawatū Tinorangatiratanga
(Team of five, three-year span) - Haumanu Ūkaipo
(Team of 12 led by Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, three-year span) - Southern Ruahine Kiwi Habitat Restoration
(Team of eight led by Environment Network Manawatu Incorporated, three-year span)
Minister Allan said in his release, “The projects, which stretch from the Ruahine Ranges to the Horowhenua coastline, will build on conservation efforts already underway and contribute to an ongoing legacy in the region. The ultimate goal of one of the projects is to restore the whole of the Southern Ruahine area as kiwi habitat through an extensive trapping network. … Several coastal wetland and dune areas will also be restored, creating clusters of safe habitats, or eco-islands, for taonga species including the Powelliphanta snail, while reestablishment of riparian habitats will contribute to mountain-to-sea nature corridors. These oases of nature at the foot of the Tararua and Ruahine ranges are rare and every single one deserves protection. I am super proud that Jobs for Nature can play a part in that, while at the same time supporting local communities, businesses and workers in their efforts to do the same.”
Jobs for Nature is a key initiative that has been established to manage government agency and authority funding for a range of projects over the next four years, for the purpose of supporting the environment, its people, and the community regions they create. The program is funded by New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, Land Information New Zealand, and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.
For more information on New Zealand’s Jobs for Nature initiative, visit: https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/jobs-for-nature–mahi-mo-te-taiao/.
