Millions to help protect iconic land

Up to $18.4 million will be invested into restoring the South Island’s braided river valleys, alpine and pastoral lands over four years, creating more than 60 jobs a year.

As part of the Government’s Jobs for Nature programme, Toitu¯ Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (Linz) is funding three projects in river catchments across South Canterbury focusing on pest and weed control, and habitat restoration, Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor announced yesterday.

The Department of Conservation will support Linz with the delivery of the projects.

O’Connor said it was a ‘‘very significant programme of work which will be a win-win for the local economy and the environment’’.

The largest of these investments is in Te Manahuna Aoraki project in the upper Mackenzie Basin where up to $12m will be spent improving the habitat of some of the country’s most fragile plants and animals over four years.

The multi-agency project, in progress since late 2018, has the aspiration of turning the Mackenzie Basin into a predator-free zone by 2040.

O’Connor said he was looking forward to ‘‘coming back in five years and seeing some real environmental improvements in the Mackenzie Basin’’.

‘‘There is some massive buy-in for the Te Manahuna Aoraki Project, right across the board,’’ O’Connor said. ‘‘I think it could be a model for the rest of the country.’’

O’Connor said the funding meant many projects could ramp up significantly and he urged anyone interested in being involved to get in touch with DOC or Linz. ‘‘I would like to think there is going to be strong interest in these positions.’’

Mackenzie district mayor Graham Smith said it was a ‘‘significant’’ announcement.

‘‘It gives us some certainty we can go ahead, making sure we can manage our environment,’’ Smith said. ‘‘One of our issues in the Mackenzie is that we are short of staff, and while businesses are struggling to get staff, particularly in hospitality, we have also got a growing number of jobs required in Jobs for Nature. I am sure people do want to come to the Mackenzie and I think the fact the Government is prepared to put this sort of money into it is a reflection of the tremendous asset it is to the country.’’

Te Manahuna Aoraki project manager Simone Smits said the announcement was an ‘‘outstanding opportunity for the region’s biodiversity’’. ‘‘This investment allows us to expand and build on our predator control,’’ Smits said.

‘‘The power of Te Manahuna Aoraki is that it is a collaborative project. Only 60 per cent of the area is conservation land, the remaining 40 per cent is private land. Everyone is working together to achieve the same outcome.’’

Smits said Te Manahuna Aoraki would be in touch with all stakeholders to prepare a 20-year vision for the project.

Ross Ivey, of Glentanner Station, said Te Manahuna Aoraki would have the scope of a national park. ‘‘We have got the opportunity to do something really worthwhile.

‘‘The exciting thing for me is the outcomes are going to be so rewarding. The 14 runholders working with DOC and Linz are going to be quite an exclusive club. It is like a private national park,’’ Ivey said.

‘‘From my point of view, I have got some very apparent pluses in looking after the wildlife near our land. We have got the opportunity to do the job well. This Jobs for Nature project is going to have huge benefits for things such as predator fencing.’’

Conservation Minister Kiri Allan welcomed the investment in the project. ‘‘The scale of our investment is providing a massive boost for biosecurity control and monitoring in this immensely special area,’’ Allan said.

‘‘It will support the survival of taonga native species including kea, ngutuparore/wrybill, robust grasshopper, and the world’s rarest wading bird kakı¯/black stilt.’’

O’Connor said the funding from Jobs for Nature for Te Manahuna Aoraki would provide 35-40 jobs each year for four years.

Linz has management responsibilities over extensive Crown lands within the upper Mackenzie basin, including world renowned Lake Pukaki.

O’Connor said Linz was also investing in two similar Jobs for Nature projects and working alongside other agencies, iwi and community groups in nearby river valleys. The South Canterbury High Country project would see up to $3.45m invested over four years to carry out land-based pest control work across the Huxley, Hopkins and Temple valleys.

Meanwhile, the South Canterbury Braided River project would create 12-14 jobs each year for four years as part of an up to $2.95m investment to carry out weed and pest control and re-establish bird habitat on islands on the Waitaki River, and the Ashburton and Stour rivers, O’Connor said. ‘‘This funding is also supporting the restoration of the Opihi River lagoon, recovering long-tailed bat habitat in the Tengawai River, controlling geese numbers in the Rakaia River catchment, and managing a range of predators on the upper Rangitata River,’’ O’Connor said.

He said providers, including DOC’s Twizel and Geraldine offices, would oversee the appointment of contractors to carry out project work on Linz’s behalf, creating about 60 jobs each year across all three projects.

DOC Twizel project lead Dan Radford said the funding would give them an opportunity to increase the trap line in its region.

‘‘Right now, we are working on getting the traps themselves built – there are about 550 of them,’’ Radford said. ‘‘We are starting to do baseline monitoring for predators.

‘‘There is a lot of information we lack. We want to see what numbers are actually there.’’

‘‘The power of Te Manahuna Aoraki is that it is a collaborative project.’’ Simone Smits Project manager