Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
Introduction
View a list of projects that were successful in the DOC Community Fund 2023 funding round.DOC Community Fund
Threatened species and ecosystems
The total amount funded for threatened species and ecosystems is $7,200,000 (excl. GST).
| Region | Applicant | Project title | Funding awarded (excl. GST) | Project description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern North Island | Bream Head Conservation Trust | Ecological Restoration of Bream head Scenic Reserve - Next level | $118,500 | Predator and weed control to protect Nationally Critical plant species including koheriki, Northland horopito, and threatened land snail species. |
| Northern North Island | The Pukenui Western Hills Forest Charitable Trust | Protect Pukenui Pekapeka | $107,673 | Protect and increase the pekapeka tou roa/long-tailed bat population in Pukenui Forest through predator control and monitoring. The predator control will also benefit other threatened species present. |
| Northern North Island | Te Roroa Iwi - Te Toa Whenua | Predator Free Maunganui Bluff | $30,000 | Investigate the feasibility of a predator proof fence to protect a wild population of Roimata o Tohe at Maunganui Bluff. This will provide protection from goats, pigs and possums. |
| Northern North Island | Weed Action Native Habitat Restoration Trust | Maunga Manaia - Waka Hourua Mātauranga Māori Collaboration | $138,280 | Protect and preserve Nationally Critical plant species including Northland horopito and ramarama through habitat restoration on Manaia Ridge Scenic Reserve. |
| Auckland | Motuihe Trust | Motuihe Island Kākābeak Threatened Plant Recovery Project | $199,980 | Restore populations of threatened kakabeak plants on Motuihe Island through plantings and weed and pest control, with the aim of establishing naturally regenerating populations. |
| Auckland | Pouteria Charitable Trust | Te Matuku Bay / Four Reserves / Pest Plant Eradication | $180,000 | Remove invasive pest plant species from public and iwi reserves in Te Matuku Bay to support Nationally Critical species including matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern and swamp maire. |
| Auckland | Matuku Reserve Trust | Increasing Mauri for Matuku and places for Pekapeka at Te Henga | $605,540 | Predator and weed control, including willow removal, in and around Te Henga wetland to support the matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern and pekapeka tou roa/long-tailed bat populations. Wider conservation benefits will occur at site and downstream. |
| Auckland | Tapora Land Coast Care Group | Kia Puawai ai Ngā Taonga o Manukapua Fostering the Birds of Manukapua 2023-2026 | $271,640 | Weed removal and planting in wetlands and dunelands to support critically endangered ecosystems and threatened bird species including tara iti/fairy tern. |
| Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki | Tiaki Repo ki Pūkorkoro Trust | Swalers and waders - Establishing a new reserve in Pūkorokoro | $295,166 | Restoration of natural tidal flows and habitats on remnants of endangered chenier saltmarsh and meadows in Pūkorokoro, benefiting threatened plants and animals. This site is opposite the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve, adjacent to the Firth of Thames Ramsar site. |
| Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki | Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust | Restoring the Mauri of the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve | $110,564 | Restoration of the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve which is part of the endangered Pūkorokoro-Kaiaua chenier plain and adjoins the Firth of Thames Ramsar site. This area also provides important habitat for migratory shorebirds. |
| Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki | Wildlife.ai Trust | Wildlife Watcher | $80,060 | Develop and deploy smart camera traps in Taranaki to better understand and manage the threats to frogs and reptiles, particularly the Nationally Critical Kupe skink. |
| Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki | Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust | Threatened Species Monitoring at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari | $214,705 | Undertake monitoring and tracking of threatened species including kākāpō, Mahoenui giant wētā and hihi/stitchbird within the 3,000 ha Maungatautari site to support and improve the long-term viability of these species. |
| Eastern North Island | Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust | Motu Valley Ecosystem Protection Project | $161,946 | Predator trapping and pest control across 2,000 ha in Whinray Scenic Reserve to support several threatened species populations including pekapeka tou roa /long-tailed bat. |
| Eastern North Island | Whakakī Lake Trust | Whakakī Wetland Pest Control Project | $113,900 | Predator trapping in and around Whakakī wetlands to protect threatened native bird species including matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern, Caspian tern and grey duck. |
| Central North Island | Project Tongariro | Te Matapuna Wetland Restoration | $224,142 | Control grey willow in the Waiotaka Recreation and Scenic Reserves and the Ngati Runuku Trust block to restore the wetland habitat and protect threatened plants and animals including yellow bladderwort, stalked adder's tongue and matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern. |
| Lower North Island | Hokotehi Moriori Trust | Karure/Black Robin Recovery: Preparing Caravan Bush for reintroduction | $297,758 | Operational planning and preparation, including pest, predator and weed control, for the establishment of a secure population of karure/black robin, and protection of other threatened species, on Pitt Island (Caravan Bush). |
| Lower North Island | The Chatham Island Tāiko Trust | Chatham Island Tāiko Conservation | $97,630 | Continuation of predator control and monitoring on the Chatham Islands to support threatened bird species including Chatham Island tāiko, Chatham Island pigeon, Chatham petrel and Northern Royal albatross. |
| Lower North Island | Hawke's Bay Biodiversity Trust | Nga Pekapeka-tou-roa o Nga Motu Rakau o Tamatea: Protecting and Enhancing Long tailed bat populations in Central Hawke's Bay | $95,030 | Monitor and manage roosting habitat for three colonies of pekapeka tou roa/long-tailed bat to inform best practice management at other priority sites. |
| Lower North Island | Whatumā Management Group | Lake Whatumā Regeneration Project | $265,000 | Weed and pest control, riparian planting, and restoration of the wetland scrub zone and kahikatea forest zone on the lake margin of Lake Whatumā. A native plant nursery will be set-up to provide plants to the site and this work will improve habitat for matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern. |
| Lower North Island | The Urban Kakabeak Project | Kakabeak Genetics Conservation and Propagation | $45,000 | Protection and preservation of kakabeak plants (seed and cutting collection) for local projects and future planting. |
| Lower North Island | Aorangi Restoration Trust | Aorangi to Wairarapa Moana Landscape Predator Control | $712,750 | Landscape scale predator control over 20,000 ha of private land adjoining Wairarapa Moana. This will support the matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern population and aid the recovery of pekapeka tou roa/long-tailed bats whilst supporting other threatened species. |
| Lower North Island | Pūkaha Mount Bruce Board | Conservation breeding for release of critically endangered tūtūruatu | $530,000 | Construct replacement breeding aviaries for tūtūruatu/shore plover at Pūkaha enabling increased capacity to better support conservation outcomes of this vulnerable species. |
| Northern South Island | Tasman Environmental Trust | Habitat Restoration | $267,900 | Restore Waimea inlet through planting and predator trapping to increase the number of threatened estuarine birds including kotuku/white heron, matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern, Caspian tern, wrybill and black-fronted tern. The Back Beach beetle, shortjaw kokopu, lamprey and other threatened species will also benefit from these efforts. |
| Northern South Island | Project Janszoon | Protecting the unique ecosystems of the Abel Tasman National Park and associated limestone/karst Landscapes | $219,400 | Goat control on private land to protect rare and threatened ecosystems in Abel Tasman National Park and reduce the extinction risk for land snail (Rhytida oconnori). |
| Northern South Island | Ngāti Koata Trust | Growing and safeguarding the threatened Hamilton’s frog and invertebrate populations of Takapourewa. | $171,010 | Increase the numbers of critically threatened invertebrate species including Stephens Island ground beetle, Stephens Island weevil and large weevil, through the creation of a new protected rocky habitat on Takapourewa/Stephens Island. |
| Eastern South Island | Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust | Banks Peninsula Feral Pig Control | $250,000 | Feral pig control in the area surrounding Kaituna Valley Scenic Reserve to protect several threatened species including the Lyttelton forget-me-not. |
| Eastern South Island | Summit Road Society | Protecting Ohinetahi Bluffs | $108,692 | Weed control in the Faulkner Bluffs area, specifically targeting spur valerian, to reduce the extinction risk to Lyttelton forget-me-not and other rare plants on these volcanic bluffs and rocky outcrops. |
| Eastern South Island | Waimakariri Ecological and Landscape Restoration Alliance | Kura Tawhiti | $82,500 | Reduce the risk of extinction of Castle Hill buttercup and forget-me-not, and Maniototo peppercress, by controlling invasive plants and undertaking activities to encourage natural growth. |
| Eastern South Island | Wilding Free Mackenzie | Multi-region projects: Maryburn Flats, Lake Ohau Moraine and Wetland Complex, Gladstone Flats, Lake Ohau Downs, Pukaki Flats, Lake Tekapo Scientific Reserve | $510,000 | Wilding conifer control across six areas with critically endangered ecosystems such as leached terraces and outwash gravels in the Mackenzie area. |
| Western South Island | Clean Streams Karamea Incorporated | Ōparara Source to Sea Estuary Restoration | $223,169 | Control invasive weeds, undertake predator trapping, install fencing, and plant indigenous species at Ōparara estuary to restore critically endangered ecosystems. |
| Southern South Island | The Wildlife Hospital Trust | Veterinary Care for Threatened Species | $300,000 | Provide hospital-level veterinary care for Nationally Critical bird species including kākāpō, kakī/black stilt, tūtūruatu/shore plover, Salvin's mollymawk and southern New Zealand dotterel. |
| Southern South Island | Big Bay Awarua Conservation Trust | Big Bay Awarua Rat and Possum Control | $172,065 | Establish a bait station network at Big Bay within a 915 ha area around Waiuna Lagoon. Predator control will protect threatened bird species including kotuku/white heron, matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern and South Island kaka. |
Cultural heritage and backcountry infrastructure
The total amount funded for cultural heritage and backcountry infrastructure is $2,000,000 (excl. GST).
| Region | Applicant | Project title | Funding awarded (excl. GST) | Project description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki | Ngāti Tara Tokanui on behalf of Nga iwi ō Opoutere | The Opoutere Reserve. Mā muri ā mua ka tika: From destruction to renewal. | $337,070 | Work with specialists to protect and enhance the mauri of heritage sites, in the Opoutere Reserve and wāhi tapu/urupa area through activities including erosion control, archaeological risk assessment and mitigation, and dune restoration. |
| Lower North Island | Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki | Taumanuka heritage project | $154,680 | Establish the presence of mana whenua with the creation of waharoa and pou. This will provide story telling so visitors can respectfully engage with history. It will bring to life the significance of the historic Pa, battle sites and mahinga kai as well as protecting koiwi and wāhi tapu from accidental disturbance. |
| Northern South Island | Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust | Wairau Wetlands Cultural Values Mapping and Management | $276,200 | Build a more comprehensive understanding of the conservation values of the Wairau Wetlands as a cultural landscape linked to its environmental values and history. Activities include mapping the cultural dimensions of the landscape, building a knowledge base for the future and implementing a programme to monitor, maintain and protect site values. |
| Eastern South Island | Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Trust | Ecological Restoration at Ōpihi Rock Art Sites | $143,208 | Restore the ecology and biocultural values of a highly modified limestone ecosystem surrounding 14 nationally significant Māori rock art sites. The work includes weed and pest control, native plantings and protecting and managing archaeological values. |
| Nationwide | Backcountry Trust | 2023/24 & 2024/25 BCT Volunteer Work Programme | $1,000,000 | Funding to enable the Backcountry Trust to support volunteers to deliver an agreed work programme in partnership with DOC to maintain backcountry huts and perform track maintenance. |
| Nationwide | Te Araroa Trust Inc. | Te Araroa Sign Boards | $88,600 | Work with mana whenua and local communities to provide educational messaging through sign boards at 32 sites along the Te Araroa trail. The aim is to reduce detrimental environmental impacts and impart local knowledge. |