Hawke's Bay project saving wetlands and giving purpose gets government funding

A Hawke's Bay project which combines social good with environmental outcomes has been given the government tick of approval, with a funding announcement made on Friday.

Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced $462,000 to help Hohepa Homes restore wetlands in the Lower Taipo stream.

Hohepa Homes is a disability services provider, supporting both children and adults, with residential support and day services.

Sage, who was in Hawke's Bay for the announcement, said the project enabled people in the Hohepa Community, who have a variety of abilities.

The funding includes $200,000 from Ministry for the Environment's Community Environment Fund, which will be used to restore four hectares of wetland and $250,000 from Te Uru Rākau's One Billion Trees fund, to grow 90,000 native seedlings over the next three years.

Eugenie Sage with wetland contractor Joe Harris, at Friday's announcement. Photo / Warren Buckland

The final $12,000 comes from the DoC Community Fund and will be used to develop a pest management strategy.

"This restoration project, of a wetland, is critical for the health of the Ahuriri Estuary, because it traps things like nutrient, sediment, contributes to a healthy estuary and provides habitat to a lot of our native plants and birds."

Hohepa executive member Neil Kirton said the funding was an extraordinary opportunity for the community and people supported by Hohepa.

"It means we can really start to ramp up our native plant nursery production, and it means we can invest very substantially in the wetlands that are here and really accelerate our wetland development.

"It's a really great opportunity for the people we support to be involve in work which is important to the community.

"So it's a win for the people we support and for the community."

The Lower Taipo stream, which Hohepa Homes is helping restore. Photo / Warren Buckland

As well as the funding for Hohepa, Sage announced $243,101 for Environment Hubs Aotearoa, visiting Environment Centre Hawke's Bay to make the announcement.

"The one year long project aims to connect and inspire centres around New Zealand to expand their work with local communities, and use a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators to monitor and report on their impacts.

"The goal of the Environment Hubs network is to enable social enterprise, community environmental education and promote on-the-ground action for a resilient, sustainable communities and environment."