Council's Environmental Programmes
Council is proud to be working with our community to protect our wildlife and land and make sure our district’s environment has a sustainable future.
There are a number of Council led environmental programmes that are aimed to help our community members increase and protect our district's biodiversity.
- Check out some of the environmental community groups and projects that operate in Kaikōura, and find out how you can get involved here.
- Find out more about our district's biodiversity here.
Significant Natural Areas (SNA) Programme
Kaikōura District has numerous public reserves and protected conservation areas, the largest of which is the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges. A Council study to identify all significant natural areas on private land has so far identified possible 155 sites.
Under Section 6(c) of the Resource Management Act 1991, Council has a responsibility to recognise and provide for the protection of areas of “significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna” as a matter of national importance. The SNA Project works with landowners to identify, protect and manage areas of significant biodiversity on their properties.
The District Plan also details policies and implementation methods for the SNA Programme.
The SNA Working Group will help guide the Significant Natural Area Programme (SNA) in Kaikōura. This includes working with landowners throughout the district to manage and protect significant areas of biodiversity on their properties. The SNAWG will also provide advice to Council on policies and implementation methods for the SNA programme.
The goal is to improve native habitats and help build the districts biodiversity.
The District Plan is currently being reviewed. Part of the review is expected to help confirm direction and set community expectation around the SNA programme.
What is a covenant?
An agreement or contract. Every covenant has its own particular requirements.
Read more about QEII covenants here.
What is a significant natural area?
The Resource Management Act 1991 places a responsibility on local authorities (Council) to protect areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna. How this should be done varies between regions and it is up to the Council to work with local land owners individually.
Significant natural areas in Kaikōura
Kaikōura District has numerous public reserves and conservation areas including the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges, which is the largest area of protected land. Council completed a study to identify all of the significant natural areas on private land in the District - so far 155 sites have been identified.
If you are considering protecting a significant natural area on your land, contact Kate Hunt at Kaikōura District Council on (03) 319 5026 extension 211 or kate.hunt@kaikoura.govt.nz for more information.
21 September 2018
Sally Blunt and her late husband Tim have owned their 89ha property 'Sophora' since 2000 and have been undertaking weed control and native planting since then.
Sally and Tim won a Weed Busters award in 2008, and currently Sally has 6 QEII covenants on the property. Ecologically threatening weeds such as Old Mans Beard, wandering Willie, barberry, hawthron, blackberry and gorse have all been targets in the effort to clear weeds from the property. Whilst predominantly secondary forest, the 6 covenant blocks each contain a range of plant species, including 4 podocarps and several species of special interest.
Sally has been credited as having "a huge amount of drive and passion along with an encyclopedia like knowledge of her flora, her surrounding environment and of the nasties that threaten their piece of paradise," says Jodie Denton, who nominated Sally and Tim for the Weed Busters award in 2006. "Listening to her, it became evident that she spends hour upon hour, particularly in the creek areas, dealing to wandering willie, woolly clematis and other bits and pieces that have made their way into the system from further above. I was very impressed with her determination and energy to keep them all at bay. It is obvious that her goals are very much in line with what is expected of a QEII Covenanter; to keep special areas as weed and pest free as possible in order to allow the native to thrive in its natural state."
Today the property is mostly covered in regenerating native bush (kahikateas, totara, manuka and kanuku), with over 200 varieties of plants! A section of the property is still a working farm. Work has been ongoing since the purchase of the property to plant natives, adding to what is already there - all of it is flourishing and has created a good nature trap on the property for pest control.
Sally highly recommends working with QEII National Trust if you are thinking about creating a significant natural area. Her goals for creating a significant natural area was to protect the bush, and QEII were "encouraging, and made the process so easy" she says.
Thinking about creating a significant natural area on your property?
Contact Kate Hunt at Kaikōura District Council on (03) 319 5026 extension 211 or kate.hunt@kaikoura.govt.nz
Kaikōura Biodiversity Contestable Fund
Kaikōura District Council wants to support people who wish to carry out projects that have a direct benefit to our local indigenous biodiversity.
The purpose of this fund is to support landowners and communities to protect, manage and enhance indigenous biodiversity across Kaikōura.
Contact Kate Hunt at Kaikōura District Council on (03) 319 5026 extension 211 or kate.hunt@kaikoura.govt.nz for more information.
- Grants are allocated on a cost -sharing basis of 50:50 between the applicant and Council.
- Funding is open year round.
- Applicants can claim an approved grant after first paying all costs associated with the project. Grants must be claimed within 6 months of completing the project.
- Applications must meet the eligibility criteria to receive funding.
- Projects must be completed within 12 months of funding being approved.
- The Council will fund up to $1000 per project. A property may have only one active project within a 12-month period.
- Funds are meant to be spent within a year and can be used for contractors, equipment purchase/hire and/or materials such as fencing and trees.
- The Biodiversity Fund does not provide grants for the planting of exotic vegetation or non-eco sourced native species or plantings as part of resource consent conditions.
Eligibility
To be eligible for funding, projects must meet the following criteria:
- Be located within the Kaikoura District.
- Have direct benefit to indigenous biodiversity.
- Help sustain ecosystem services, increase indigenous biodiversity and restore areas of ecological value.
- Be associated with a specific site, general areas will not be considered.
- Demonstrate long-term viability of the project outcomes e.g. stock exclusion from planted areas, ongoing planned commitment to animal pet control, ongoing weed control maintenance of planted areas etc.
- Planting projects must use eco-sourced native plants and be of an appropriate ecosystem type for the site.
Applying
Include with the application form:
- A map, photographs and/or plans showing the project area.
- Written permission from the landowner(s), if the applicant is not the land owner
Maintenance and management of planted area is carried out by the landowner.
Small trees and shrubs (1-5m):
- Flax/harakeke (Phormium tenax)
- Toetoe (Cortaderia richardii)
- Lancewood (Pseudopanax crassifolius & P.ferox)
- Tree Fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticate)
- Coprosma (Coprosma robusta, C. lucida & C. propinqua)
- Korokio (Corokia cotoneaster).
Tall trees (5-20m):
- Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides)
- Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum)
- Hinau (Elaeocarpus dentatus)
- Halls/Mountain Totara (Podocarpus hallii)
- Narrow-leaved lacebark (Hoheria angustifolia)
- Totara (Podocarpus totara)
- Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea)
- Matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia)
- Cabbage Tree (Cordyline australis)
- Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides)
- Lemonwood (Pittosporum eugenioides)
- Ngaio (Moporum laetum)
- Pigeonwood (Hedycarya arborea)
- Broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis)
- Nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida)
- Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)
- Wineberry (Aristotelia serrata).
The Kaikōura Flats have less than 20% of native cover left, making it a high priority restoration area for the Ministry for the Environment.
This project helps support Council’s Significant Natural Areas (SNA) Project as part of the Resource Management Act.
Under Section 6(c) of the Resource Management Act 1991, Council has a responsibility to recognise and provide for the protection of “significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna” as a matter of national importance.
EarthCheck
Kaikōura is Platinum Certified under the Earthcheck Sustainable Communities programme. EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking certification and advisory group for the travel and tourism industry. They work with governments, businesses and destinations to deliver clean, safe and prosperous destinations. Earthcheck was developed from the United Nations Environment Program and is based on Agenda 21.
Our Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy outlines our commitments.
To see how we are performing, read our Benchmarking Report
Volunteer: If you can spare an hour, a day, or part of a day for tree planting, site preparation, litter quitters or recycling.
Reduce Waste: Help us by recycling and buying products with reduced packaging. Recycle even while traveling - just drop your recycling into Innovative Waste.
Reduce energy and water use: Reuse your towels and linens, switch off your lights and unused appliances.
Fantastic No Plastic: Help us reduce waste and protect our marine environment by using Re-Usable Bags. Say NO to a plastic shopping bag.
Respecting our natural environment: Help us by acting responsibly, do not leave litter of any sort, use the public toilets, find out about natural history.
Public Recycling bins: use the 'Love NZ Recycling Bins' dotted around our town.
Trees for Travellers: A locally run replanting programme that helps offset carbon emissions, replant our native reserves and make people generally feel good about themselves. Buy a tree, plant a Tree or volunteer to help - find out more.
Walking and Cycling: Help us by hiring a bike or walking to explore our environment.
Respect our Coast: Follow fishing quotas and size limits.Keep your distance from marine mammals and remember they are wild animals not pets.
Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance
Kotahitanga mō te Taiao ("Collective action for the Environment") is an Alliance formed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), all of the Councils (including Kaikōura District Council) and many of the iwi across the top of the South Island.
It aims to achieve landscape-scale conservation projects with social, cultural and economic benefits. Read the strategy here.
A dawn blessing was held in Nelson on 28 June 2019 to launch the Alliance. You can view the strategy launch video here.
The Values define how we will work together. The Values are grounded in Mātauranga Māori, Māori knowledge of the indigenous people of Aotearoa. These have informed formation of the Strategy and will share it implementation.
This Strategy is visionary and designed to be applied in a diverse range of ways. It is transformation and future focused and creates a framework linking long term vision to pragmatic actions.
Vision defines what the future will look like when the Strategy is fully implemented. The Alliance vision is that our extraordinary natural heritage is flourishing, having been restored over large areas, including where people live. People live, care for, and benefit from the environment in ways that bolster natural ecology together with the communities that live within them.
The Mission guides how the strategy will be implemented. The Mission of the Alliance is to work together to create a connected and aligned region that understand, protects, enhances, and future proofs the values of nature critical to the Top of the South that this flourishing nature in turn enriches its communities.
The Outcomes are the tangible achievements of the Mission as we progress in achieving our collective Vision. Five Outcomes set out the results that successful implementation of the Strategy will achieve. These integrate the health of the natural heritage with the well-being of people.
Sustainable Living Programme
Kaikōura is part of the Sustainable Living programme. The Sustainable Living programme is a practical, fun way to learn and use actions to reduce environmental impacts at home.
See how to make a healthier, drier and warmer home or how you can easily reduce your waste to landfill. Other topics to explore are: home food growing, water efficiency, avoiding toxic chemicals, smart food shopping and preserving tips, reducing your power bill, eco-building design or house renovation suggestions, lower-carbon transport options, and community resilience.
Useful links
09 January 2019
