Environment Committee Progress Report for the Period July to October 2013 December 2013 Land Management 1 Whanganui Catchment Strategy (WCS) ACTIVITY OVERVIEW: The Whanganui Catchment Strategy (WCS) project relates to its ‘strategy’ activities introduced in 1997 which focus on the upper Whanganui River catchments aiming to prioritise an incentive programme in the area. Ultimately the strategy aims to address erosion hot spots that affect downstream water quality. 1.1 Outputs (What we achieved) REPORTING PERIOD YTD MEASURE TARGET % 1st 2nd 3rd 4th ACTUAL WCS farm plans completed / delivered 0 0 5 0 Grant projects agreed 41 41 25 164 Complete Annual Report to WRET - - 1 - Land improvement (hectares protected) 14 14 250 6 1.1 Outputs Activity Summary Implementation: 1.1.1 Two WCS plans from 2012-13 (carried forward) were delivered to landowners in July and August respectively. No work plans had been discussed as at the time there were no grant funds available with all funds being fully allocated. The Whanganui River Enhancement Trusts (WRET) have since confirmed funding will mean these properties will be re assessed and can proceed. 1.1.2 In relation to the new financial year, to date we have received and approved 41 environmental grant applications totalling $101,737 of grant funding (NB: the overall project costs are greater than this amount). As the year progresses projects are managed within the grant budget of $103,000 ($50.000 HRC and $53,000 WRET). Despite exceeding the targeted number of grants (41 cf. 25) the 41 grants that were approved were within the total funding budget of $103,000. The grants have therefore averaged less than expected coming in at $4,120 per grant. 1.1.3 Of the 41 grants approved a total of six grant claims have been paid out. These grants amounted to an overall expenditure of $19,685 ($3,561 per claim). These work claims were for; pole planting (one), riparian fencing (four) and one for afforestation. These works account for 14 hectares of works treated to date. 1.1.4 A confirmation letter has been received from WRET endorsing the 2012-13 Annual Report and approving Horizons funding application for 2013-14 of $53,000 (plus GST). The Trustees have also supported in principle a second application covering a Case Study farm on the Parkes property. They are however unable to confirm funding for this project until they have completed their strategic plan. 1.1.5 In association with this second application staff have made a visit to the Parkes property with WRET representatives. The purpose was to become more familiar with the property and the concept of a Case Study farm, hopefully to gain support and extra funding from WRET to implement this enhanced work programme. LAND MANAGEMENT 1.1.6 An issue of pole supply continues for the upper Ruapehu area. As most poles need to be purchased and transported from the Manawatu often these more isolated areas miss out. The potential Iwi nursery that was planned to address some of this shortfall seems to have fallen over due to lack of funding and problems with the land to be planted. Council and farmers currently supply 748 poles supplemented by a further 1,370 poles purchased in. A sustainable supply of around 5,000 would be desirable. One Plan Implementation: 1.1.7 One Plan implementation has been reported more fully in the Regional and Coast section of this report. However vegetation clearance consents make up most of the workload in the WCS area at this stage. Cultivation on land over 20 degrees is an emerging issue to be considered as Horizons implemented this rule. Landowners do not appear to be aware of the rule at this stage, its implications or relevance to them. Other: 1.1.8 Staff have attended the NZARM conference, a riparian and land management field day at Whatawhata Research farm near Hamilton and have had Land Use Capability and Land Resource Inventory training with Garth Eyles (consultant and trainer). Allan Kirk ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR - WHANGANUI CATCHMENT STRATEGY Grant Cooper MANAGER – LAND LAND MANAGEMENT 2 Regional Land Initiatives ACTIVITY OVERVIEW: The Regional Land project is a catch-all for a number of routine activities not covered by the SLUI and WCS programmes. Environmental Grants (E Grants) for land and erosion projects, support of significant industry partnerships (e.g. Ballance Farm Environment Awards and Beef and Lamb NZ Monitor Farms) and soil health programmes, coastal dune erosion and nursery management are included in this group. 2.1 Outputs (What we achieved) REPORTING PERIOD YTD MEASURE TARGET % 1st 2nd 3rd 4th ACTUAL Soil health workshops 0 0 2 0 Produce soil health plans 1 1 5 20 Produce Environmental Farm Plans 0 0 10 0 Environmental grant projects 42 42 50 84 Industry partnerships funded or supported - ongoing 4 - Fund Poplar and Willow Trust - ongoing 1 - Fund and support Ballance Farm Environment Awards - ongoing 1 - Manage HRC nurseries to produce poplar poles (poles - ongoing 7000 - produced) Source additional poplar poles (poles sourced) - ongoing 13000 - Provide technical support to P&W Research Trust to - - 1 0 provide sites for trial and bulking new clones Land improvement (hectares protected) 4 4 350 1 2.2 Output Activity Summary Implementation: 2.2.1 Soil Health Plans (SHP) focus on soil mapping intensively farmed properties generally on ‘down land’ landscapes or west coast sand country. Soil Health Plans are one of the non regulatory methods signalled in the One Plan (Method 5.3). One Soil Health Plan has been completed and delivered to date. A meeting with landowners to explain this plan is proposed for 24th November. Two further SHPs are on the books to be completed over summer with the help of students from the SLUI scholarship programme. Targets for SHPs have been forecast down over the past few years in deference to Whanganui Catchment Strategy and SLUI Farm Plans. 2.2.2 A second activity undertaken in this area is the preparation of Environmental Plans. Environmental Plans (EP) differ slightly from SHPs in that they target different land types (generally farms outside of SLUI) and have a slightly different emphasis. Both SHPs and EPs undertake SWOT analysis, paddock scale mapping and offer up recommendations for improvements. Depending on the site, nutrient budgets can also be prepared. No Environmental Plans (EP) are planned at this stage. This farm plan work will be treated as lower priority in deference to staff putting time into One Plan implementation, including developing processes to implement land rules around cultivation, earth disturbance, vegetation clearance and forestry. 2.2.3 This activity group (Regional Land) has seen a total of 42 environmental grant projects approved with a total grant cost of $86,688. While this is slightly over the budgeted grant allocation for this activity this year, cancellations, transfers and savings on claims received during the year traditionally allow for this over allocation or any new jobs that may be taken up as a result of these changes or cancellations. 2.2.4 Four claims have been paid out totalling $11,857 of grant expenditure. The breakdown of work types for these claims are; one each for space planting of poplar and willow poles, bush retirement for erosion control, afforestation, and slump control. 2.2.5 These four projects have contributed to four hectares of erosion reduction works being completed. LAND MANAGEMENT 2.2.6 Pole planting season has been completed, claims for grant projects are starting to come forward. The bulk of the pole planting is for SLUI projects but around 1,500 poles have gone out to clients outside SLUI in Regional and Coast work zones. Industry Partnerships: 2.2.7 A number of Industry Partnership programmes have been attended during this period. The first round of the Ballance Farm Environment Award judging has been completed. Fourteen entrants, split between dairy, and sheep and beef, have been judged with five entrants to be judged again in the finalist round. Two Future Forest Research meetings and workshops were attended and staff have had input into the shape of future forest research funding. The Poplar and Willow Trust AGM was held on the 21st November. Advice and Information: 2.2.8 In the coastal advice area, assistance was given to a planting contractor in sourcing marram for dune stabilization work at Raumai Bombing Range 2.2.9 In addition to works programmes advice has been given to 29 landowners regarding erosion issues. The vast majority was around poplar and willow pole establishment. 2.2.10 Staff have assisted with four community planting days through Hunterville, Taihape Area and Kumeroa Schools and a Ratana early childhood group. 2.2.11 A number of staff attended the New Zealand Association of Resource Management Conference (NZARM) in Gisborne. The subjects of forestry, land use change, harvesting steeplands were features of this year’s conference. Staff were also involved in the flood barrier training in Whanganui, this was timely as the training was called upon for use in the flood event two weeks later. One Plan Implementation: 2.2.12 Eleven staff have totalled 240 hours work on One Plan implementation to date. This includes; . Meeting with groups such as Federated Farmers to discuss the land rules and their implementation. Assisting with development of guideline documents . Meeting with contractors . Vetting eight sediment control plans put forward for forest harvesting . Inspections and issuing land use consents (19 in total) - Five vegetation clearance in Regional and Coast, seven in Whanganui Catchment Strategy - Two cultivation in R&C, two in WCS - Three land disturbance in R&C 2.2.13 Staff also responded to one tracking operation at Pukeokahu that was the subject of a complaint.