SLUI newsletter

April 2021

In this newsletter:

Funding partners
Funding works
Staff changes
The SLUI grant approval and claim process
Poplar and Willow Poles
Grant rates and Contractor rates
SLUI Advisory Group
Te Kōpuka – Primary Sector Member
One Billion Trees
Freshwater reforms

Funding partners

The Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) programme came about after the February 2004 storm event . The programme has been funded by our regions ratepayers since 2005.

We would like to acknowledge that since 2007 our major funding partner has been the Hill Country Erosion Fund, this fund is currently administered by Te Uru Rākau.

This year the HCEF is contributing $1.388 million toward the cost of the programme. Landowners are a significant funder, contributing over 50% of the cost of works completed.

Funding works

Our last newsletter came out toward the end of the Covid 19 lockdown. Collectively landowners, Horizons, and Te Uru Rākau completed the 2019-20 works programme. This was a record year for works with 7,375 ha completed.

This year we are on track to complete 3,100 ha of works, but as usual for this time of year we are encouraging landowners to complete the work programmes they have committed to and to keep us updated on progress.

There is room to complete more work this financial year, and we are looking to do more poplar and willow pole planting and afforestation this coming winter.

Staff changes

We have had some major staff changes over the last few years. We have had Dave Harrison, Kevin Rooke and Grant McLaren retire, collectively they had well in excess of 100 years experience. I’m sure our farmers who worked with these Land Management Advisors (LMA) have valued their support and advice over the years.

Currently we have another three staff on parental leave and we wish them well and look forward to having them back with us in the near future.

We have been fortunate to be able to recruit some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable new staff members and they have been getting around their areas and making contact with farmers.
To help you contact your local LMA we have put together a map and contact list, this is available on our website here

If you want to email us directly you can do so at slui@horizons.govt.nz

The SLUI grant process approval and claim process

We are handling around 500-700 individual on farm claims each year, giving out in excess of $2.0m of grant money. We need to run tight processes to satisfy our Councillors, ratepayers, funding partners, and auditors that the work is legitimate, cost effective and meeting the outcomes we need.

Communication is vital, please keep you LMA informed of changes to your work programmes.

The grant approval and claim process in shown in the following flow chart;

Harvesting poles at the HRC Woodville Nursery July 2020 Photo: Weston Brown

Poplar and Willow Poles

Our staff are busy completing claims for the poles that were planted last winter. The survival rate has been good, with most of the region getting the rain at the right time in the spring.

Now is also a good time to talk to your LMA about planting this coming winter. They can help with a planting plan and determine numbers and varieties of poles required. If you have not caught up with your LMA recently, they will be in touch soon to see if you will be needing poles this winter, but please do not hesitate to call them too.

Pole numbers for this coming winter are looking good, with an increase in available numbers from previous years. The poles are sourced from Horizons nurseries at Woodville, Bulls and Taumarunui; and from various private nurseries around the region.

Also a reminder that March – April is a good time to prune the poles. Your local LMA is able to give advice on this. There’s also good information and videos on the Poplar and Willow website and in this factsheet on ‘Growing poplars and willows’.

Pruned/thinned rising 9 year old Kawa and Toa poplar poles – Ruapehu District

Grant and Contractor Rates

Over the years we have tweaked our SLUI grant rates in order to meet work demand or target priority work types.
From this July any stream fencing programmes will attract up to 40% grant rate (this is a decrease from the 50% currently on offer). The stream fencing programme is in high demand, and this change is designed to spread the funding further.

Increasing demand for skilled farm labour has seen contractor rates increase over the past 12-18 months and for land management works like fencing and tree planting this has been especially pronounced.

Our staff carry out a high number of claims per year, so we do see a wide range of costs and on occasions cost can be well above average.

We have set upper limits for the cost of some work types, where we believe it reflects a fair value for the work carried out.

Some examples include;

Radiata pine establishment $1,500/ha
Exotic tree establishment $1,800/ha
Mānuka establishment $2,000/ha
Hill country post and batten fencing easy $18/m, hard $22/m
Deer fencing max rate $22/m
Pole establishment $26/pole, plus an allowance for helicopter ferrying.

Costs incurred over and above the capped figure will be at the landowners expense. We are regularly reviewing these rates.

SLUI Advisory Group

The SLUI Advisory Group includes farmers, Councillors, Council staff and land management experts. This group usually meets twice a year to discuss items of interest within the SLUI programme and to give input on an informal basis back to staff and Council around the future direction.

The latest meeting was held on the 15 April.

Any landowners who would like to attend meetings are welcome. If you think you might be interested send us an email at slui@horizons.govt.nz

Te Kōpuka – Primary Sector Member

Horizons Regional Council is seeking someone to represent the primary sector on Te Kōpuka

Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 established a unique legal framework; a special feature being the recognition of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River) as a legal person with rights, powers, duties and liabilities.

It recognises that Te Awa Tupua is a singular entity comprised of many elements and communities. The collective interest and responsibilities of those communities has been acknowledged through their inclusion into Te Kōpuka. Te Kōpuka is a strategy group charged with advancing the environmental, social, cultural and economic health and wellbeing of Te Awa Tupua through developing a river management strategy.

There are up to 17 members appointed by iwi, agencies, and other communities with interests in Te Awa Tupua. Members are appointed for a three-year term and can be reappointed on completion of the term.

Over the period 8 – 28 May 2021, Horizons will be seeking applications from people interested in representing the primary sector community. This role will suit an individual that is self-motivated, operates well within their own community and can also operate collaboratively with others in a considerate manner.

For further information please contact Jerald Twomey:
jerald.twomey@horizons.govt.nz

1 Billion Trees

The central government 1BT programme has complimented the work SLUI has been doing. In the last few years 1BT has provided funding at better rates than SLUI and we have encouraged landowners to apply for these funds.

At the end of March this year 38 grants had been approved in our region funding 2,025 ha of native, and 190 ha of exotic tree planting.

Unfortunately this programme is not taking any new funding applications. Click here more information about 1BT.

Freshwater Reforms

Last year the government announced reforms to the way New Zealand’s freshwater is managed.

The most recent update being the intensive winter grazing timeline being pushed out one year to May 2022. However, if you have new intensive winter grazing or wish to intensify you will need to apply for a consent. Monitoring of farmland will continue over the next year to identify any potential consenting issues with the intention of working with industry and farmers to help remediate these.

If you would like more information on the freshwater reforms and how they might affect you head to Horizons Our Freshwater Future page

Within these webpages there is also links to various rural industry websites.
Our hill country landowners need to keep up to date with issues such as;

Information still to come this year;

Identification and fencing of wetlands
Freshwater Farm Plans