Eligibility for the Waterway Protection Fund (WPF)

Who can apply for the WPF

Funding is available in the Drury, Wairoa and Waiuku catchment areas to all:

• landowners
• farmers and lifestyle block owners
• community and environmental groups.

If you have an existing grant and have spent the funding as agreed, you can apply again for the next stage of your project.

What you can apply for

The fund targets:

• protection, enhancement or restoration of streams, waterways, wetlands and riparian margins
• reduction of contaminants by:
• fencing to exclude livestock and enhance riparian buffers
• provision of alternative water supplies
• planting native plants along watercourses.

What you need to consider

Fencing should be permanent, seven or eight wires properly strained, unless there’s an alternative option better suited to local conditions like flood risk or land management considerations.

A riparian strip needs to be a minimum of 3m to 5m wide to be effective.

All plants you plan to use must be ecologically sourced and appropriate to the area.

WPF assessment criteria

We will assess your grant application for:

• projected environmental benefits, including improved water quality and aquatic ecological health
• type and significance of the environment and biodiversity to be protected
• length of riparian margin that the project will protect
• the extent of community involvement in leading or being part of the project
• connections with other landowners to form partnerships and share knowledge
• feasibility and likelihood of a successfully completed project.

What the WPF will not fund

We won't fund:

• a project that may lead to a conflict of interest for us as a consent authority
• activity or work that has already been started or completed
• projects on public land
• fencing or planting which is a condition of a current or future resource consent - grant agreements for successful applicants will include a clause noting fencing and native planting supported by council grants cannot be used to secure subdivision consent for a 10-year period.

Read more information about activities we don't fund.