Selwyn Times: December 02, 2020
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SELWYN RURAL LIFE<br />
Wednesday <strong>December</strong> 2 2<strong>02</strong>0 <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> 33<br />
Farmer-led group nets environment cash<br />
A <strong>Selwyn</strong> catchment group is set to net just<br />
over $2m for environmental improvements<br />
on more than 60 properties in the district.<br />
The government funding is going to<br />
the Tinaku Project, led by the farmerled<br />
Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture<br />
Incorporated. The group has 100 members<br />
and aims to improve water health, mahinga<br />
kai and cultural values.<br />
The $2.2m from the Ministry for Primary<br />
Industries (MPI) will pay for four and eight<br />
full-time equivalent staff working with<br />
landowners across 46,000ha. The activity<br />
will include fencing and planting to protect<br />
streams, drains and wetlands, as well as pest<br />
control and improved biodiversity.<br />
The Tinaku Project reaped about a third<br />
of the Jobs for Nature funding announced<br />
by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor<br />
this month. Four farmer-led catchment<br />
groups in Canterbury and Otago were given<br />
between $176,000 and $2.3 million over<br />
the next three years to fund environmental<br />
improvement work across dozens of sites in<br />
their regions.<br />
The Jobs for Nature projects include,<br />
North Otago Sustainable Land Management<br />
Riparian Project – $362,000; Lindis River<br />
project, Otago – $772,000 and Pomahaka<br />
Wetland Restoration project, South Otago –<br />
$176,000<br />
O’Connor said most of the initiatives were<br />
being led by established catchment groups<br />
with hundreds of farmer members. The<br />
work would involve fencing and planting<br />
around water bodies, clearing of unsuitable<br />
trees, and pest control.<br />
Overall, Jobs for Nature could employ<br />
between 15 and 20 people as well as<br />
specialist contractors over that period.<br />
O’Connor said producing food and fibre<br />
for the world with strong environmental<br />
credentials would create more value for our<br />
products and would help New Zealand’s<br />
economic recovery from Covid-19.<br />
It was important that the Jobs for Nature<br />
projects were led by farmers and the<br />
community, O’Connor said.<br />
“Farmers working directly with each other<br />
through local catchment groups means<br />
they can develop and share their knowledge<br />
about what works for them and provide a<br />
connected network for support and advice.<br />
Through Jobs for Nature projects they can<br />
start to make a difference that will be seen<br />
in years to come.”<br />
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of<br />
Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson<br />
says the Jobs for Nature funding for<br />
Canterbury and elsewhere was recognition<br />
of the significant work undertaken by the<br />
rural sector. Most farmers were focused<br />
on improving and protecting their land<br />
for future generations and many had been<br />
early adopters of environment management<br />
plans for the last seven or eight years, she<br />
said. “Environmental stewardship is also<br />
an important area in terms of securing<br />
market access for food and fibre, so this<br />
funding will play a role in helping to boost<br />
our agriculture exports - a key economic<br />
driver for the region, which was particularly<br />
evident through Covid”.<br />
The funding also showed that<br />
sustainability had not been overlooked in<br />
the Covid environment.<br />
Preserving the health of rivers, wetlands,<br />
and habitat biodiversity has always<br />
been a key issue for the region, “so we<br />
are encouraged to see the Government<br />
addressing this challenging issue in<br />
partnership with the farming sector and<br />
hope that it is a signal for the Government’s<br />
approach to accompanying sector<br />
regulations and other sustainability issues,”<br />
Watson said.<br />
A further $2.9m of government funding<br />
would help about 300 Hurunui farmers<br />
work towards improving the health of their<br />
land and water through applying farm<br />
environment planning and sustainable land<br />
management practices.<br />
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