16 April, 2012

Hill country secure under draft Long-term Plan

The future of hill country is looking secure in the Manawatu-Wanganui region as Horizons Regional Councillors plan to continue supporting the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) for another decade.

The Council has just released its draft 10-year plan for community feedback, in which it outlines its commitment to see another 165,000 hectares of land brought under sustainable management within the next three years.

“Hill country makes up 64% of our region. That’s the highest proportion of any region in New Zealand,” explains Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon.

“For the last six years we’ve been working very successfully in partnership with farmers and Central Government to reduce erosion and we’re keen to build on this achievement.”

Since it was established in 2006, SLUI has been funded by Horizons, landowners and Central Government. Horizons’ share is funded by a uniform general charge in recognition of the initiative’s benefits to the wider region.

“While the landowners we work with receive direct benefit from SLUI though the protection of their land, reducing erosion also leads to a reduction in the sediment or soil that ends up in our waterways,” says Mr Gordon.

“Less sediment in the water is not only good for water quality, it also helps us better manage the river channels to protect communities from flooding. It’s a win for everyone”

Central government seems to like what it sees as well, investing over $8.7 million dollars in the programme since 2006 through its Hill Country Erosion Fund.

Horizons environmental manager Grant Cooper says the SLUI team will have developed over 400 farm plans by the end of the financial year which identify where work needs to occur and sets a plan for sustainable management.

“Management includes tree planting, space planting of poplar and willow poles, fencing and retiring bush, fencing off streams and any other activities that will prevent sediment getting into our rivers. We have 1 million pine trees and 15,000 poplar poles ready to plant in 2013,” he says.

Horizons’ draft Long-term Plan was released for public consultation on 3 April and Mr Gordon is encouraging members of the public to review the Plan and have their say. Copies of this Plan and the summary are available from Horizons offices or online at www.horizons.govt.nz with submissions closing 4 May 2012.

A series of community meetings on the draft Plan are also being held throughout April.

ENDS

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