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MAF grants $1.9M for community irrigation, storage
MAF grants $1.9M for community irrigation and water storage
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) today announced five successful grant recipients under the first funding round of the Community Irrigation Fund’s new detailed design category.
A total of $1,896,120 (incl. GST) in funding up to 2011/2012 has been allocated for four irrigation/water storage projects in the South Island and one project in the North Island.
The successful grant recipients are; Maungaroa Irrigation Scheme (Eastern Bay of Plenty), Lee Valley Dam (Tasman), Hunter Downs Irrigation Scheme (South Canterbury), Mayfield Hinds Irrigation Scheme (Mid Canterbury) and Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme (Mid Canterbury).
The Community Irrigation Fund helps rural communities overcome the high costs involved in getting irrigation schemes off the ground and increasing the efficiency of existing schemes. Its purpose was widened in June 2010 to fund detailed technical/design engineering work. The first funding round for the new category closed in early September 2010.
“I congratulate the recipients of the Community Irrigation Fund detailed design funding round. MAF is pleased to be contributing to the cost of robust design work and helping accelerate scheme developments that are cost effective and include good environmental standards and processes,” says MAF’s Director of Natural Resources, Mike Jebson.
“Water is a vital resource. Well-planned, designed and coordinated schemes increase the supply and reliability of irrigation water, can provide wider benefits and increase communities’ resilience to climate change.”
The next funding round closes on 18 February 2011 and covers all three funding categories offered by the Community Irrigation Fund (generating investor and community support; detailed design; and local government–led water strategies).
The Community Irrigation Fund was established in 2007 with a contestable fund of $6.4 million (incl. GST) spread over an eight year period (2008/09 to 2015/16). It is part of Government’s wider sustainability and climate change initiatives. The grant funds up to half of the cash costs of appropriate activities.
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