Te Wai Mauri Limited Kaitiaki Rangers and local rangatahi did riparian planting along the Tūtaekurī River at Waitangi with support from the 2021 Biodiversity Hawke's Bay grant. Photo / Supplied
Biodiversity Hawke's Bay's 2022 funding round to support local community group biodiversity restoration projects has opened.
The contestable fund opened on Friday, April 1.
According to Biodiversity Hawke's Bay, the criteria for successful applications are those with high biodiversity value and those that engage or educate communities in biodiversity restoration
Applications could receive a grant of $1000 to $5000 if successful.
There were six successful applicants of the 2021 contestable fund across the rohe from Wairoa to Maraetotara; Te Wai Mauri Trust, Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust, Maraetotara Tree Trust, ECO Management Group Ltd, Haumoana Ecology Group and Waiparere Farm pest control.
Their projects included planting, trapping, possum control and educational tools such as signage and brochures.
Te Wai Mauri trust used its funds to enhance riparian and wetland planting with oioi, toetoe, purei and makaka in the Waitangi stream eastwards to the Waitangi Regional Park and Atea a Rangi.
Office manager at Te Wai Mauri Ltd Lisa Tong said it was a priority for Ngāti Parau to engage in activities that restore the mauri of the Tūtaekurī awa.
"This grant from Biodiversity Hawke's Bay, enabled Ngāti Parau to complete an extension to the Waitangi Wetlands. Kaitiaki rangers from Te Wai Mauri Ltd, prepared the site for planting and worked alongside rangatahi to plant the native rakau"
She said the Kaitiaki rangers role modelled for rangatahi from the marae through the work.
"The kaupapa for this business is to offer living wage employment in the kaitiakitanga realm for people from the marae.
"It has a real positive flow on effect for the families and for the hapū.
"This work will further enhance the efforts under way to protect habitat in the wetland and estuarine areas and restore it to a place of abundant mahinga kai."
Biodiversity Hawke's Bay general manager Debbie Monahan said no one entity, government department, organisation or community group could restore our precious biodiversity alone.
"Collaboration is the key, and our role is to work with, and on behalf of, the community to deliver on the objectives of the Hawke's Bay Biodiversity Strategy 2015 – 2050."
Napier City Council community services grant
Napier City Council's 2022 funding round for its community services grant remains open until April 8.
The grant supports community and voluntary not-for-profit organisations providing social services that benefit the Napier community.
The Napier City Council website said grants typically range between $500 and $2000, although some successful applicants listed have received grants of up to $10,000.
The grant distributed a total of $99,568 in the 2021 funding round.
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