Hill country erosion control gets million dollar boost

Nelson City Council welcomes funding of $1,275,000 from the Ministry for Primary Industries Hill Country Erosion Fund.

This funding comes from a $36 million investment by central government to support tree planting and sustainable land management to protect our most vulnerable hill country landscapes.

The funding will help to address some of the impacts caused by heavy rain events, such as the 2011 storm that caused multiple slips – including damage to Cable Bay Road that cost over $3 million to remediate.

These events are likely to become more frequent and intense as our climate changes, and this work will help to mitigate future damage by stabilising and protecting erosion-prone land.

Reducing erosion also benefits our waterways by improving habitat for native fish and river health.

Council will use the funding to work with rural landowners in the Nelson area to encourage and support activities that will reduce erosion.

The projects funded will include working with owners of small private forestry blocks to prepare forestry environment plans; supporting iwi across the top of the South to instigate sustainable management practices on erodible land; and providing 50,000 trees per annum for four years to plant on retired forestry land across the region, including Council, Iwi, and privately-owned land.

Mayor Rachel Reese says she’s looking forward to seeing the funding being used to boost Nelson’s environmental sustainability.