North Canterbury News: June 16, 2022

Budget service steps up to meet demand
By DAVIDHILL
Covid­19 pressures and rising living
costshave led to ademandfor
budgeting support.
Budgeting Services North
Canterbury is steppinguptosupport
localfamilies struggling to cope
financially, service manager Sharon
Grantsays.
‘‘People are exhausted and
extremelystressed. Manyfamilies are
having difficultymanaging their
household finances.
‘‘Even basic items suchaskeeping up
with payments for their rent or
mortgage,electricity and previous debt
commitments haveforced many people
to look to Work and Income for extra
assistance.
‘‘Theincreases in foodprices and
petrol too are adding to the financial
stress experienced by families
struggling to make endsmeet.’’
Sharon says there has been an
increase in the numberofrequests for
assistancewithKiwiSaver Hardship
Applications, where there are also
growing numbers of insolvency
applications such as bankruptcies and/
or debt repayment orders.
‘‘Thelevelofdebt complexity we are
seeing has increased considerably, and
many people are not reachingout for
help whenthey firststart experiencing
difficulties.
‘‘We are often seen as the ambulance
at thebottom of the cliff, and even
thoughwecan advocate on aclient’s
behalfand perhaps renegotiatebetter
repayment terms.
‘‘These are often only short term
Bird project enters 6th year
Aproject to protectand enhance braided
river bird habitat on the Hurunui and
Waiau Uwha Riversisenteringits sixth
year.
Funding has been secured for thesecond
phase of the project on the rivers, enabling
work to continue.
It comes after asuccessful five­years
protecting braided river bird habitat.
In 2017,the Hurunui Waiau Uwha Zone
Committeebiodiversity working group
endorsed prioritising funding and resource
to helpprotect black­fronted ternand
black­billed gull habitat –both threatened,
endemic Canterburybirds.
The committee had worked withbraided
river experts,runanga and the community
to identified key values, threats and gaps
for braided river biodiversitymanagement
aroundthe two rivers.
Astrategic approach to addressing the
multitudeofthreats facing braided
riverbed birds was needed, to ensure
alignment and collaboration of efforts
betweenlandowners, groups and
organisations involved in supporting them.
Initially, around $40,000per year in
biodiversityfunding allowed trapping,
weed control and monitoring at both rivers,
for the last five years.
The focus has been on protectingbraided
river bird nests and monitoring success
rates of thesenests, to see whichmethods
of protection are working.
The DepartmentofConservation(DOC)
has contributed asignificantamount of
resourcetosupport this project, through
monitoring andweed control.
Environment Canterbury (ECan), the
Hurunui District Council and runanga
recently endorsed an additional$50,000 of
funding to continuesupportingthe
programme next season.
Staff are working on the funding
agreement and project implementation
with DOC.
ECan biodiversity officerZipporahPloeg
said the learningsgainedthroughthe last
Protected birds ... Efforts to protect
endangered birds on the Hurunui and Waiau
Uwha Rivers have been successful.
PHOTO: ENVIRONMENTCANTERBURY
five years work/mahi is helping shape the
futureofthe projectinaway that will
betterprotectthe braided river birds.
‘‘We went fromknowing very littleabout
the unique braided river ecosystems in
these rivers,tonow having abetter
picture,’’ she said.
Ms Zipporah said Southern Black­
BackedGulls were initiallythe focus of
control effortsasthey are known to be a
significantpredator of breedingbraided
river birds.
‘‘We didn’t record any predationincident
involving them over the last fiveyears,
despite their high populationinthe area,’’
she said.
It is likely Southern Black­Backed Gulls
targetnewly fledged chicks, but eggsand
adult birds in the non­treatment areas were
being eaten by mustelids, cats,rats and
hedgehogs before the chicks had achance
to hatch.
The focus for stage two is likely to be
aroundfuture management of two key
islands –NIWA Islandonthe Hurunui
River and Sharkstooth Island on the Waiau
Uwha River.
solutions to what are often very
complex situations.’’
There are many organisations
offering support to families struggling
financially and theincreasing impact
of the risingcost of living for individual
households is goingtobefelt for some
time yet, Sharonsays.
‘‘The ongoing impactofCovid­19,
coupled withthe increasedcost of
living has beenareminder to many that
theirfinancial situationcan change
overnight, and that building resilience
to financialhardship is going to be a
long term project,’’ she says.
For free and confidential support
contact Budgeting ServicesNorth
Canterbury to work with an
experienced financial mentor.
The service is free and confidential.
Phone (03) 3133505 (leaveamessage).
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North Canterbury News, June 16, 2022
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